A PAEROA APPLICATION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4990, 21 June 1926, Page 2

A PAEROA APPLICATION.

POSITION OF RAILAVAY HOTEL.

ARGUMENT GIVEN BY COUNSEL.

The adjourned application of the executors of the estate 1 of M. A, and E. F. Moriarty for a license for an hotel to be known ns the Railway Hotel, Paeroa, with Robert E. Bradley as licensee, was the first application dealt with by the Ohinemuri Licensing Committee on Friday morning.

Mr F. D. McLiver, who appeared for the estate, submitted that there was ’hot a better or more suitable site in Paeroa for an hotel. The site was close to the railway station, which would undoubtedly become a larger and much more important junction. As such the public were entitled to consideration. It had been said that live hotels at Paproa would be too many. The people; who advanced that suggestion had no faith in the future development and requirements of the town. It would be a grea.t pity if a similar position arose as Paeroa grew to that at present obtaining a.t Hamilton and Frankton.

Evidence was produced showing that Mrs E. McLiver was the sole surviving executrix of the estate of the Moriajty’s. Pressing his claim for Mr McLiver submitted that were Mr and Mrs Moriarty surviving, there would be no question of preference. By probate there wa.s a legal and binding claim for preference.

The chairman pointed out that there could not he two claims for preference for the same license.

Mr McLiver agreed, but pointed out that Moriarty had been the licensee and part-owner of a section which had been used in conjunction witli the. hotel property a.t the time no-license came into effect. It should not Ire the. policy of the public to allow brewers’ corporations to tie houses. It was not the brewers who weto the losers by the carrying of prohibition, because the sale of liquors was effected through other channels. It was not right that brewers should have licenses. The spirit of the-Act was that those who had lost something by reason of the carrying of no-license, should be compensated. That being so. the Moriartys cla.im for preference must succeed. If Weedon’s application for tlie Rob Roy Family and Commercial Hote.l, Waihi, succeeded, then the present application, which it was contended was on all fours, must a,lso succeed. Counsel appealed to the Bench to give, full weight to the arguments advanced, and asked that the application be judged fairly and impartially on its merits.

After hearing the decision of the Bcncli at tire conclusion of the sitting that the application had been refused, Mr McLiver intimated that he intended to join with Mr Cooney in the action ho proposed to take with regard to the Wajtoa Hotel, and asked that no waiver be taken in regard to the applicant.