OHINEMURI LICENSES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 June 1926, Page 7

OHINEMURI LICENSES.

DISPUTED ALLOCATION

MOVE AGAINST COMMITTEE. (.BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, June 26. At the first meeting of the Ohinemuri Licensing Committee, held on June 2, there were 15 applications for publicans’ licenses made by various individuals, including a widow, Mrs Mary Blaeklie Montgomery, who applied’ for a license for an hotel at Waitoa. An application for a license at Karangahake was withdrawn, and all the other ftpplications werle adjourned. The chief interest centred round, the question of preferences under the Licensing Amendment Act, in favour of the owners of hotels which were licensed at the time no license was carried in the district. The Licensing Committee ruled that a number of applicants were entitled to preference, and among these was included Mrs Montgomery, who had since acquired a site at Walton, though she retained the ownership of the old premises at Karangahake. The* written, decision of the committee stated that the majority held that the legal sonstruction of the sub-section brought this applicant within the preferential applications, but the majority, however, decided to refuse the application.

Notwithsanding that they indicated their intention to. grant licenses to two persons who did not hold preference rights, the committee gave no reason for refusing Mrs Montgomery her license. and her counsel (Mr H. O. Cooney) entered an emphatic protest a.aginst the action of the committee, reasons. Ho also asked for an adjournment, and lie lodged .an objection to three members of the committee adjudicating on this or any other applications.

The matter has now taken a new turn, an anp'ication having been made bv Mr J. C. Dromgool and Mr H. 0. Cooney, wlia appeared as counsel before the committee, for writs of prohibition and certiorari against the Licensing Committee on behalf: of two Ohinemuri residents. It is alleged in the application that two members of the licensing bench were working on hotels belonging to other applicants for licenses, or their nominees, and by reason of that fact were interested in tile proceedings and thereby were disqualified from sitting on the bench. It is further alleged that a member of the licensing bench had definitely pledged himself, prior to the of the committee, to vote against the Waiter, application, and: that he had taken an active part in opposing the application prior to its coming before the committee.

In the Supreme Court this morning, on the motion of Mr Dromgool. application was made to Mr Justice Stringer for a writ of prohibition and certiorari. Mr Cooney appeared as counsel. _ An order was made prohibiting thb Ohinemuri Licensing Committee until further action bv the court, from ©ranting licenses to. the Paeroa Hotel, Paeroa; the Kerepeehi Hotel, Kerepeehi, and the Golden Cross Hotel, Waihi. An order was also made for a rule nisi to bring up and squash the refusal of the committee to grant a license to Mrs Montgomery for the Waitoa HotelLeave was granted to serve the above writs upon the committee by telegram.