THE SYDENHAM LICENSING COMMITTEE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1947, 18 June 1891, Page 13

THE SYDENHAM LICENSING COMMITTEE.

The Sydenham Licensing Committee announced their decision on the llth with regard to applications for licenses. The Chairman said that the circumstances under which the committee acted were unusual, and ho therefore deemed it necessary to indicate plainly on what basis they had proceeded. They had been elected as a prohibition committee, and, under the impression that they were empowered to refo.se all licenses, they found themselves restrained from such action by Mr Justice Decnfaton's interpretation of the act. They felt no option but to obey such an order until such time as his Honor's order was reversed or confirmed by the Court of Appeal. The two points which they bad given effect to were— (1) Nob to refuse the licenses applied for on the ground only that the licenses are not required by a majority of the ratepayers of Sydenham. (2) That, in considering whether sHch licenses are required, they must consider whether they were required according to the reasonable wants of the residents who may desire to purchase liquor. The committee had striven to act in recognition of these directions ; but it seemed that his Honor did cot direct them to ignore the desire of the community that v.o excessive drinking facilities should exist in their midst, and he did not direct them to do more than allow provision for meeting the reasonable requirements of the residents where hotels are in close proximity to one another. The committee had taken this fact into consideration in dealing with the applications, and the chairman then announced that the decision of the committee was that they had refused renewals of 6Jx oub of the eight applications on the ground that the committee, of their own motion and after bearing the evidence, were of opinion that the premises were not required. With respect to the two remaining application?, the committee were inclined to grant them, but postponed a decision until June 22, Notice of applications for

adjournments was given in the six cases absolutely refused.

It is stated that it is the intention of the applicants whose licenses were refused by the Sydenham Licensing Bench to bring separate actions in the Supreme Court against the individual members of tbe committee, with the object of recovering damages for loss sustained by of such refusal, the ground of the astiOn being that the circumstances attending the committee's election and administration of the Licensing Aot prove that the committee did not bring an impartial or a judicial mind to bear on the question, but were actuated by bias, prejudice, and prohibition considerations. Experts estimate tbe depreciation in the value of the properties affected at close on £10,000.