HEREKINO LICENSE GRANTED

Northland Age, Volume 14, Issue 44, 12 July 1917, Page 7

HEREKINO LICENSE GRANTED

■ Thi; Bay of Islands Licensing Committee on Wednesday granted tlie application of Henry Bowman for an Accommodation License at Ilcrckino. It will be remembered that at the Annual meeting of the Committee in June it was mentioned that the publican’s license of the Royal Oak Hotel at Mangonui would be allowed to lapse, and that the status of the Hikurangi Hotel would be raised to a Publican’s License, thus leaving an Accommodation License at the disposal of the Bench, which it was asked to grant to Henry Bowman of Herekino The Bench by resolution, decided it would do so at an adjourned meeting to be held on July 4, if then it was proved the Mangonui License had lapsed and if ten bedrooms were provided in the proposed licensed premises at Herekino. The application thus came before the Committee on Wednesday, Mr C. F. Miller (Reed & Miller) appearing in support of the application and Mr S. Mays, on behalf of the Inspector of Licenses, opposing it. It was ruled that three petitions—one t from Commercial Travellers and one from residents in favour of granting the license, and one from residents opposing the license -could not be treated as evidence and that the favourable resolution b passed at the previous meeting be not confirmed so that the whole question could be gone over de novo. Mr Miller said that the Publican’s License in respect to the Old Hotel, Mangonui, had not been issued. This left a license at the disposal of the Committee. By raising the Hikurangi license to a publican’s license an accommodation license thus became available and it was asked that this accommodation license be granted in respect to premises at Herekino. It had been said at the last meeting of the Y Bench that this was practically an evasion of the spirit of the Licensing Act. But he did not think so. It was in the public interest to dispose of and place licenses where the best interest of the public would be served; not only the public of the locality but also the larger travelling publie. An accommodation license was badly needed in a district like Herekino - There were in the vicinity of Herekino eight wine licenses all held by Austrians —naturalised or not he did not know. In the public interest it was far better that * an accommodation license should be granted than these eight Austrian wine licenses issued. Mr R. Bowman, brother of the applicant, who had been living in Herekino 25 years, said that the travelling public going North frdm Hokianga passed through Herekino, and the need of hotel accommodation had been felt for many years. George F. Hill, commercial traveller, who had been travelling in the North for a 11 years, said all the travellers from Hokianga to Kaitaia used the road that passed through Herekino. Commercials had found the want of a suitable accommodation house at Herekino. Herekino had a future and in ten years would be bigger than Kawakawa. Mr S. Mays, in addressing the Bench pointed out that no Committee at the present juncture should enter tain the granting of a license unless a clear case of necessity had been made out. The question must be considere d from an administral tive and police standpoin t. Up to March, 1917, a constable had been stationed at Here kino, but had been withdrawn. If a license was granted all the undesirable elements wou Id be drawn to the place and the Police Department was not in a position, owing to the shortage of men, to again place am an there. It was a fallacy to say that accommodation depends on a license. In parts of the King Country the boarding house accommodation was very much better than in most country hotels. * Constable Hunt, who was formally sta- 1 tioned at Herekino, said there waa al-

ways ample accommodation at Herekino for the travelling public, there being two boarding houses. As far as his experience went there was practically no travelling public going through Herekino. Constable Flanagan, stationed at Rawene, had paid a visit to Herekino since the last meeting of the Committee. He did not think any licenses necessary at Herekino either publican’s or wine. Very few travellers called at Herekino in winter time. Superintendent Keily and Sergeant Rowells opposed the granting of the license on the grounds that there war. ample accommodation at Herekino for requirements, and that it would not be safe to leave the district without police supervision if an hotel we're established. After consultation the Committee decided to grant the license, the fee of £lO to be paid to the Hokianga County Council