LICENSING COURTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 5007, 7 March 1877, Page 2

LICENSING COURTS.

CHRISTCHURCH.

The quarterly meeting of Commissioners m held at the Eesident Magistrates Court at soon yesterday; present—G. L. Mellish. Ssq., 8.M., (Chairman), G. L. Lee, Esq. Hot ail Licenses. —Messrs Marshall and Buckley applied for a license for premises at the corner of Manchester street and the South Town Belt, but Mr Joynt, who was to have appeared for the applicants, not appearing, the application was adjourned until Wednesday.—J. M. Fitzgerald, holder of a wine and beer license for premises in Harper street, Newton, applied for an hotel license. Mr Thomas appeared to support the applioa. tion, and Mr Williams to oppose. Mr Williams reminded the Bench that an application for Mr Fitzgerald’s house had been refused four or five times, and he thought it was very unfair that people should be periodically put to’the expense of further opposing applications for the same place. Mr Thomas said surely every person who had a house he deemed suitable for hotel purposes had a right to apply for a license as often as he liked. It was true that several applications for a license for Mr Fitzgerald’s house had been previously refused, but he did not see why the refusal should always hold good. The house was well suited to hotel purposes, and he (Mr Thomas) had a petition signed by 160 persons residing in the immediate neighbourhood of the house in favour of the application being granted. His Worship said the Commissioners were not inclined to alter their former decision in this matter. Mr Williams said before the application was dismissed he would like to state that he had a witness who was prepared to give evidence to the effect that people bad been turned out of applicant’s house at 12 o’clock at night drunk, and that the bouse was badly conducted. The Chairman said this was a matter for the police to inquire into. Inspector Buckley said a mounted constable patrolled through Newtown at night, and had never seen anything wrong in connection with the house. Of course the constable could not always be there. Mr Williams said that was the difficulty, and the police should therefore make enquiries. Inspector Buckley said on one occasion a complaint was made that prostitutes were harboured at the house, and constables were sent down in such a manner that Mr Fitzgerald could not possibly know they were coming, yet they had never been able to find anything wrong going on. Mr Williams said the police were very slow to find these things out. He knew of one instance in point where a man had stopped forty-two weeks at an hotel, and spent £3OO, yet this was an hotel which was always strongly recommended by the police on licensing days. The Chairman said Mr Fitzgerald's application would be dismissed, and the whole matter then dropped. Bobert Moore applied for an hotel license for premises on the Stanmore road. Mr Garrick appeared to support the application. Mr Thomas said he appeared on behalf of himself and other residents in the vicinity, to oppose the granting of the application. Mr Garrick said he supposed the remark made by his learned friend in the previous case, that every person who had a house fit for hotel purposes had a right to apply for a license, would hold good in this case, notwithstanding that Mr Thomas had a house in the vicinity. (Laughter.) Mr Thomas said there was no house on the land, and he would like to ask the applicant what interest he had in the land. Mr Garrick submitted plans of a large house which his client proposed to erect if a license was granted to him, and said he might remark that the land was sold by Mr Thomas, whose strongest recommendation of it in effecting the sale was that it would be a splendid site for an hotel. (Laughter,) Mr Thomas said this Was entirely incorrect. He informed the Bench that he bad an extensively signed petition against the granting of a license to the applicant, and said there would be no business from traffic for the bouse; therefore, it would become a mere drinking shop. The Chairman said _ the Commissioners were unanimous in the opinion that a licensed house was not required in the locality for which the application was made. The application would, therefore, be refused. —Thomas Quill, holder of a wine and beer license for his, refreshment rooms adjoining TattersaU’s, applied for an hotel license. Mr Thomas again appeared to oppose. The Chairman said the Commissioners saw nothing to induce them to alter their former decision in this, matter, and the application, would, therefore, be refused.—J. W. Smith, holder of a wins and beer license in St. Asaph street east, applied for on hotel license. Mr

Thomas, who appeared to support the application submitted plans of a large bonding which his client was prepared to erect if the application was granted. The Chairman said the Commissioners were not inclined to grant an hotel license for the house. There was no through traffic, and an hotel license was not, therefore, required. The application would bo refused.—Richard Stevens applied for an hotel license for Philipstown. Mr Izard appeared to support the application. He said there was no hotel at Philipstown, or within 40 chains of the place for which his client desired a license. The people in that locality required refreshments the same as people elsewhere. He submitted plans of a house containing 18 rooms, which bis client was prepared to erect if a license was granted, and pointed out that the neighbourhood had now become very thickly populated. The Chairman said Philipstown did not possess a good name, and the Commissioners were very much adverse to granting a license for that part of the suburbs. The license would be refused. In reply to the applicant, the Chairman said there was nothing to prevent the application being renewed at a future meeting of the Commissioners. Hotel Babb.— The applications for extra bare were next considered. Mr Thomas, who appeared for John Baylee, Criterion Hotel, the first on the list, said bis client, like the other applicants, did not apply for any specific number of bar licenses, but rather for the Commissioners to rule how many they should have, as a guard against prosecution under the Licensing Act. The various applications were then gone into, the result being, John Baylee, Criterion Hotel, was adjudged to require two extra bar licenses; G. Beattie, Palace Hotel, four; B. Belgrave, Crown Hotel, one ; E. Oookson, Barrett’s Hotel, one; Geo. Lloyd, City Hotel, two; E. Bavenhill, Caversham Hotel, one; W. H. Porter, Shades Hotel, one; H. Davis, A 1 Hotel, one extra and a partition to be removed ; W. Radoliffe, Commercial Hotel, Cathedral square, one extra; G. Beattie, Palaoe Hotel, applied to have his case held over until next week, in order that he might consult his architect, with the view of ascertaining whether any alteration could be made to reduce the number of bars, —Applications by J. W. Morton, Morton’s Hotel, and W. H. Power, Borough Hotel, were adjourned until next week for the production of plans.—An application by J. O. Sheppard, White Hart Hotel, was also adjourned until next week, for certain alterations now in progress to be completed.—An application by E. V. Hiorns, Central Hotel, was adjourned for a week, to enable amended plans to he submitted. Teanspbb op Licenses.— Tho following licenses were transferred :—Garrick Hotel, William Maples to Edward Pargeter; New Brighton Hotel, Louisa Oram to William Maples. A number of transfers which had been temporarily sanctioned by the Chairman since the last meeting of the Court were confirmed. LYTTELTON. At the quarterly meeting of Licensing Commissioners, held yesterday morning, there were present—W. Donald, Esq. (Chairman), J. T. Bouse, and H. B. Wehb,£eqs. Application pob New License.—Ohas. F. Vince applied for a licence for a building formerly known as the Oddfellows’ Hotel, in Winchester street. Mr H. N. Nalder appeared to support the application. Mr Nalder stated that the house was well bnilt, and in good order, and was in every way adapted for the purpose of a hotel. The Bench declined to grant the license, stating that "they were not willing to increase the number of licensed houses in the town, Tbanspbbs.— The license of the Ocean View Hotel, Governor's Bay, was permanently transferred from Thomas Blyth to Samuel Neal.— The license of the Cambridge Hotel, Winchester street, was transferred from Geo. M. Warne to Edward Morgan.