LICENSING COMMITTEE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16569, 5 June 1914, Page 11

LICENSING COMMITTEE.

CHRISTCHURCH. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of tho Christchurch Licensing Committee was held in the Court-house yesterday. Mr H. W. Bishop presided, and Messrs C. E. Salter and T. C. Field wore also present. Apologies for absence were received from l)r Thacker and Mr T. J. AF Bride. Tho following report was received from Dr Herbert Cliesson, District Health Officer:—

“ Sir, —I have the honour to enclose a copy of a report on the hotels in the Christchurch District, submitted by Inspector Kershaw. “There are some questions which I think your committee should pay special attention to from a sanitary point of view. I refer especially to bedrooms which are not provided with an opening direct to the external air for the purpose of ventilation and lighting. Such rooms are a menace to health, as they can never be thoroughly air-flushed, nor attain that amount _ of direct sunlight which is required to destroy organisms of diseaso. The benefits of direct ventilation are perhaps generally understood, but it is not so generally known that the light of the sun is quite &s necessary as effective ventilation; such rooms are therefore a factor in the dissemination of tuberculosis and, of course, of other diseases. “ I would therefore urge upon your committee tho necessity of prohibiting the ,use of such rooms as bedrooms, in' cases where it is not possible to make tho required alterations to obtain an efficient window opening direct to the external air. In the attached list of defects and recommendations, you will find the hotels mentioned in which such rooms exist. “Another question which I would draw your committee’s _ attention to, is tho one regarding want of glass washing appliances in / some of tho bars. In places where there is no proper sink with hot and cold water service laid on, small tubs are used, but as those require to have the _ water carted to and from them, it is quite obvious that they are not likely to be kept in a cleanly state. The consequence is that in such places glasses are washed or allegedly washed in dirty water. “ A good deal of attention has lately been drawn to the prevalence of venereal diseases, and I would point out that diseases of this nature could be, and have been, (proved to be carried through a glass or other utensils used in the partaking of food or drink, having been used previously by a person suffering from, such a disease without having been thoroughly cleansed. I would therefore urgo that your committee should insist upon the. provision of sinks with, hot and cola water in every bar. The hotels concerned in this matter will also bo found in attached list. “I would be glad if your committee could seo its way to adopting all the recommendations which are mentioned under the separate hotels and which I consider to be very reasonable and absolutely necessary for the safeguarding "of the travelling public and the employees of tho various premises.”

Mr Bishop said that certain allegations had been made against tho Sandridge, Prince of Wales and King George Hotels concerning threo boys who had been before the Court on Wednesday for being “beastly drunk.” He said that, somebody was responsible, and that that somebody would be dealt with.- On behalf ofathe committee, ho would hold up the license of these three houses for, three months. Tbcro wero some other questions to which he thought the attention of tho committee should be drawn. The inspector had reported that the rooms in some of the hotels were not properly ventilated, and had asked that tne use of such rooms should be prohibited. There had also been complaints concerning tho appliances for washing glasses in several of the hotels, such'glasses often being washed with dirty water.. He understood that this was often a cause for the transfer of venereal disease. There should be sinks with hot water in every bar. Mr Bishop said that the committee had no power to deal with most of these offences under the Act. A complaint concerning the Club Hotel, Sydenham, had been received. The owner was not complying with the spirit of the Act by failing to live on the. premises. The committee had decided that the licensee must live on the premises or go out altogether. It was stated that the licensee was now living in the house. Mr Bishop went on to say that the question of providing proper sanitary conveniences was one that they could, and would, deal with. A complaint had been mado against the Gladstone Hotel, the license for which was suspended for three months. The Foresters’ Arms and Lancaster Park Hotels were also complained of, but it was stated that the matter in their cases had been fixed up. “The only complaint against you,” said Mr Bishop to the licensee of the Wellington Hotel, “is that you have got rats.” (Laughter.) Mr Bishop explained that the inspector had reported .that the scullery of this house was infested with rats. The licensee stated that the nuisance had been done away with. The following transfers were granted : —United Service Hotel, W. F F Grigsby to John Morrison; Empire Hctd T W Watts to H. Cock; Oxford Hotel. A. Johnston to W. George Ives; Quin's j Hotel, Alexander Mehany to Alfred W. Whitehouse. AH the renewals were granted with the exception of the King George, Warner’s, Sandridge, Prince of Wales Club (Sydenham) and Gladstone Hotels!

SELWYN. r .Tho. . annual meeting of the Selwyn Licensing Committee was held at the Rakaia Courthouse yesterday M P 'f A. B. BaKley, S.M., presiding. A transfer w tlie license of the Canterbury Hotel from F Hood to P. Miller was confirmed, and a new license was granted to P. Miller, some improvements in the drainage to bo completed : within three months. The application of T Twomey for a, renewal of the license for the Methven Hotel, Metliven adjourned for three mouths to ’allow time for improvements in drainage to : be carried out. The police reported that the building was in a bad state of repair. A renewal of license was granted unconditionally to J. L. Jopp .Sheffield Hotel, Sheffield. A renewal ot tlm license for tbo Springfield Hotel Springfield, was granted to J. Potion os also was a license for the Hororatv Hotel to C. G. Wallace. Renewals wSe granted .to Bridget Delargy arid TT Taylor, of the Railway Hotel and the South Rakaia Hotel respectively, fi re escapes to be fixed before the next annual meeting. J. W. Halliday was granted a renewal of license' of the Chertsey Hotel, subject to fire escapes Halliday applied for a conditional license for the Ashburton racecourse for June 11. the day of the Ashburton Trotting Club’s meeting. X letter was read from Mr R. S. Bishop secretary of the Canterbury Prohibition Council, objecting to such a license being granted, on tbo ground that the license granted for die last race meeting had been soused. It was also stated that ! no public notice of the application had been given. The chairman held that under the Act it was not necessary for the applicant to inform the public, and the license was grantod. A renewal of the license for the Bluff Hotel, Coalgatej was granted to John Richardson.