THE FIRE AT PICTON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4132, 18 June 1874, Page 3

THE FIRE AT PICTON.

The following 1 particulars of the burning of the Provincial Hotel at Pictou are furnished by the Ufarlborouf/h Press : The stillness of Saturday morning last was broken, about seven o’clock, by a sound of a vigorous ringing of the church bell. Upon approaching the direction from which the sound came, it was seen that the alarm was not made without necessity, as an immense volume of smoko ascending above the Provincial Hotel told that the house was being consumed by fire. Such a calamity as appeared imminent made the people anxious to do something, and a large crowd soon congregated and set energetically to work in removing goods from the doomed building. All hands worked with a will, and in a very short time the streets bounding the hotel were strewn with articles rescued from the interior.

There was a total absence of wind, and a dense fog that prevailed kept the flames from extending, and it was seen that only precautionary measures wex - e needed to preserve all but the hotel intact. When the goods were removed so far as practicable, nothing could be done but helplessly stand and see the tongues of flame lick up the combustible materials of which the hotel was built. A comparatively few minutes sufficed to reduce the building to a heap of ashes, and this with some gaunt chimneys alone remained to show the spot where an hour before the hotel stood.

The Provincial Hotel, owned and conducted by Mr. Win. Overend, was one of the chief buildings in the town, and its loss is more than a local one, as it was well known and was the chief resort of many visitors who wore staying in or passing through Picton. When fii'st erected, the building bore but little proportion to the dimensions it had assumed when the fire occurred, as the excellence of the accommodation brought a large amount of business, and it was necessary to add lax-gely to the house to provide for the requirements of its customers. All the additions had been made by the owner in a most substantial manner, and ho was reaping the fruits of his outlay when the fire happened and destroyed in so short a time what had taken years to build up. Much commisei-atiou is expi’essed and felt at the loss Mr. Overend has sustained ; fox - , although the building, furniture, and stock were insured in the Victoria, Now Zealand, and South British offices for £1650, the sum null not nearly replace the building as it formerly stood. _' Mr. Ovorend estimates his loss at £2500, without the value of the stock, which at the time was very largo, and was worth some hundreds of pounds in addition. The articles saved consisted chiefly of the billiard table, bedding, and articles of furniture not difficult to remove; and although many things wore prevented from becoming involved in the general destruction, much was destroyed that would cost large sums to replace. Fortunately the lire began in the extreme upper part of the house, or the inflammable nature of the materials would have prevented all efforts to save a tithe of what the rescuers succeeded in _ removing from the burning building. So serious a calamity lias not occurred in Picton for some time, the last great fire having happened at the hotel kept by Mr. W. Clark, when it was entirely consumed with nearly all its contents.

AUCTIONEERS AND THE LICENSING ACT. [From the West Coast Times, Jvmo C.] At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, on Friday, before G. G. Fitzgerald, R.M., Messrs. Pollock and Bevan, auctioneers, were charged with having sold spirits, to wit, one quartercask of brandy, on the 23rd May last, without having a wholesale wine and spirit license. The case was an unusual one, as was evinced by the Resident Magistrate in dealing with it. Mr. Button, on behalf of the defendants, pleaded guilty to having sold the quantity of brandy on the date named, but contended that the sale was not a wilful infringement of the Act, as the regular custom of auctioneers selling spirituous liquors on behalf of the owners, was recognised in everyday trading, and was likewise provided for in the 17th Section of “ The Westland Public House Ordinance, 1807," which reads as follows :—“ Any person exorcising the trade or calling of an auctioneer, may sell, as agent for the owners, any spirituous liquors, wine, ale, beer, or porter —anything in this Ordinance to the contrary notwithstanding; but any such auctioneer who shall sell or shall keep or expose for sale, any such liquor on his own account, shall be liable to the penalties mentioned in section 2 of this Ordinance.” In the present case, the defendants might be said to bo partly owners and partly agents. The stock sold was portion of a consignment which had boon drawn against in the ordinary mercantile way. The consignment had been offered at auction, part of it had been publicly sold, and the balance was open for sale at the reserve price. Commissioner James pointed out that the goods were not absolutely sold at auction ; that Mr. Hansen the purchaser went and directly ordered the quarter-cask from the defendants. Mr. Button was free to admit that it was not an absolute public sale, but only suck an infringement of the Act, if infringement at all, as should cause the Bench to inflict the smallest penalty. The defendants were in possession of an auctioneers’ license at T 25, and he considered that it was never intended that auctioneers should bo compelled to take a TIO wholesale

license in addition. The Magistrate stated that there had been great doubt as to the proper construction of the Act on the point at issue. It had been held, though lie would not go the length of saying it was correct, that the sale must bo while acting in the capacity of auctioneer and not as a wholesale vendor. The new Act was more stringent, but ho hoped there would be some attention drawn to the matter during the next session of the Assembly, as at present there would appear to be some difficulty in deciding the point. The charge was admitted, and he should inflict a fine of 20s. and costs, Hs.