AFTER-HOUR TRADE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 144, 3 June 1936, Page 3

AFTER-HOUR TRADE

Licensing Chairman’s Plain Talk to Publicans PRACTICE MUST CEASE By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, June 3. According to Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., the amount of after-hour hotel trade that has been done in Wellington is such as to have caused a blot on the city’s escutcheon, but Mr Mosley, as chairman, and also other members of the Wellington Licensing Committee, are determined that there shall be an improvement, and in this connection Air Mosley used some plain English to publicans and counsel representing them at the annual meeting of the committee. ;

“Wellington has been notoriously bad for this kind of thing," said Mr Mosley, referring to the after-hour trade. “I am speaking with all due sense of responsibility. I want licensees to understand that it has got to cease." Good times were coming, and if licensees could not make their profit legitimately between the hours of 0 a.m. and G p.m. then they would have to go out of business and the Licensing Committee would see that' they went. “We arc not going to be ungenerous and we are not going to bo thoughtless of licensees and owners," continued Mr Mosley, “but we are going to insist upon a certain standard being maintained."

In view of the improvement in conditions the Licensing Committee was expecting some of tho older licensed houses to be pulled down and rebuilt. He, personally, was hoping that fresh legislation would be introduced eventually with the object of compelling some of the owners to rebuild and provide improved accommodation for the public.