THE LICENSING QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8581, 1 June 1891, Page 3

THE LICENSING QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOR. ' ; Sir,—A publican's life is not a happy > one* Every three years< he has to find money for .fighting the election of licensing committees/ and has the fear of either losing his license, or a renewal of it being refused; always hanging ; over, his head. At the recent general meeting ;of the committees it was resolved not to extend the hours of business 1 to eleven clock, , and. ten o'clock closing is >to bet rigidly, enforced. The committees may depend upon it that if a ; person wants a drink: 1 after ten o'clock he will have it, and if ho does not get it in one place he will in another. At > the ];. Thames % the p licenses 5; are % twelve • o'clock, and in my opinion there is less drink* ing there in proportion to the population tlian there is in Auckland. It was sapiently proposed at the late meeting thac publicans shuuld not be compelled to light their out* side lamps nntil twelve o'clock: at night.' This means that when the house is closed at ten o'clock, and . the landlord ■ goes to , bed -a if that hour, he is to get up, go out in the cold and light his lamp. It was recently stated that there were eleven publichouses in; the city which ought to be pulled down and rebuilt.- Why , should this be done at the caprice of an individual or \i .committee* and when the owners go to great expense in improving or rebuilding their houses - whatj security have they that licenses will be, granted for them ? The sooner we revert to the old system of the Resident Magistrate and bench of justices granting licenses tha better, and _ save the constant bickerings of? prohibitionists and so-called moderates.—l am, &c., Anglo-New Zealander.