PUBLICAN'S LICENSES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10574, 27 January 1906, Page 2

PUBLICAN'S LICENSES.

IS THE FEE TOO LOW?

At a meeting of the Waiapu Licensing Committee, held this morning, an interesting discussion arose over the fees cliarged for publicans' licences. Mr W. A. Barton, S.M., presided, and there were also present: Messrs Chas. Gray, D. Hepburn, and J. A. Caesar. The fiist business was the application of Franco. Eleanor Francis, widow of the late F. J. Francis, for permission to cany on the business for tliree months. The application was approved of by the police, and was granted by tlie Committee.

Mr A. W. Rees appeared on behalf of J. H. Aislabie, who 'applied for a conditional license for the Gisborne Racing Club's meeting on Februaiy 8 and 9. Mr Rea. asked for a reduction of the fee.

His Worehip said the Committee had at a previous meeting discussed the question of fees, and had decided that £5 was a reasonable charge to make.

Mr Rees considered that the fee was oxco'«ivc. . Formerly the licenses liad been granted upon payment of a fee of £5 for the two boofelis, but on this occasion it would cost the publicans £21 for eaoh meeting. His Worship said he did not think it was excessive for tho privilege. Tlio person certainly had to take his chance of the rain, and he did not think tho Committee had to consider the racing club. It waa not an excessive feo.

Mr Hepburn said ho had been making inquiries since last meeting, and had found that £1 per day was the recognised fee all through the oolony. The extra amount did not come out of the pockets of the publicans, as they had at first thought it would. There was a local case m point. Last Saturday, when the privileges for the forthcoming iacep were put up to auction, the publicans, instead of paying £60 for the four days' racing, simply offered £16 less, winch meant they were taking it iron, the club. His Worehip remarked it was not for tltem lo consider tlie club, but simply to fix a fair fee.

Mr Hepburn said he thought that if £1 per day was fitir for Auckland, Wellington and Cirri. tchurch, it, should be fair here. Tlie publicans only paid an annual license of £40 m town, or 15s per day of 16 hours.

His Worship: I have thought for a long time that it is veiy much too low, but we have no right to increase it, having no option m the matter. Continuing, Ins Worsliip said he thought £5 was not too much for a license at the races for tlie business they did. Tlie publicans need not take it unless they found it profitable.

Mr Caesar urged that they were taxing the club, and not the publican. Mr Barton: Tho question is whether .^ a reasonable cliarge for the license. Air Rees said that the public demanded booths at such gatherings, and the person taking it „tood a big risk of bad weather. *ive pounds was veiy high for such a speculation.

His Worship : Uit does not pay tilie publican lie will not take it up. The licenses for the borough wero £40 per annum, and £25 m th© country. Twentyfive pounds was reasonable enough m sonic instance*; m the country, but m others and the fee for borough licenses was ridiculously low. Mr Gray said he did not think that the fee of £5 per day was out of the way. Mr Ues.a r thought it was excessive. Mr Barton remarked that Mr Wallis f f il £5 m er b6th a PP rov « d of a

Mr Hepburn said Mr Wallis bad told hun after the meeting that he thought it was excessive.

Mr Barton replied that Mr Wallis had voted for the increase, and it- was very unwise for a person to think one way and vote another.

Mr Hepburn said that he, too, bad voted for the increase, as he thought ho luid better go with the majority. Mr Caesar thought they should not consider Captain Tucker's views as he was County Chairman, and wanted more revenue.

His Worship again repeated that was not the point. They had to decide what was a fair fee.

Mr Rees said it had been the custom to grant the license at £1 a day as elsewhere.

Mr Barton declared that he did not see any reason for altering their previous decision. Th c application would be granted at a fee of £5 a day. Mr Rees .said he had also to ask for an increase m the limit of hours, which had been fixed till 5 o'clock. He asked that it be extended to 6 p.m. His Worship explained that tho reduction lo 5 o'clock was nn account of tho shorter days m winter. He had no objection to the application. Mr Cacjar agreed that it was a reasonable request, and the Committee decided that the hours for the license at the races should be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m..

Mr Rees also appeared on behalf of. the same applicant, m regard to the inside booth. His previous remarks applied to this instance also. — The application was granted, fee and hours similar to the previous application, His Worship remarking that he would have liked to have seen a larger meeting of the Committee to consider the question of fees.

J. H. Aislabie also applied for a conditional license for the Poverty Bay Turf Club's gathering on February 15. Mr Rees appeared m support.— The application was granted on the foregoing conditions, also a similar license to Joseph Martin for the inside booth at the Park on February 8 and 9. Mr Rees further appeared m support of an application by J. H. Aislabie for a conditional license for Matawhero sale yards for February 1, 7, and 14. Mr Rees again raised the question of fees, which had been lately raised to £2 per day. The conditions here had been altered of late, for weekly sales were now held, and there was consequently a falling off m the attendance. The licensee had to take a risk, and often had a considerable quantity of provisions left on his hands. He was put- to a good deal of expense, amounting to about £9 a month, and had to engage four experienced waitresses at 10s per day each week. He asked for a reduction m the fee to the original amount of £1 per day. — Mr Caesar considered that the fee of £2 was reasonable, but declared the luncheon provided was not sufficient for the money. There was usually nothing there but pork and ham, and some people di. not care for that. There should be a variety of roast beeff mutton, and some lighter food. — Mr Rees said he had himself noticed some good mutton on the tables at last sale. — Mr Gray said that some time ago he had complained about the luncheon, but thought there had been an improvement. — Mr Caesar said it was the way that the food was laid on the tables. The meat was cut m chunks hall an inch thick, and a charge of ls 6d was made. — His Worship said he Would speak to the licensee about the matter. Ho did not think the fee was oxcessive. — Mr Caesar suggested that the Committee might reduce it m the winter, but m the summer it . was quite reasonable, and he understood the licensee did very well out of it. — The applications were granted. W. F. Sinclair, Tolaga Bay, applied for a conditional license for the Tolaga Bay saleyardß. — Tlie Chairman said he bad made inquiries from Constable McLeod, who was m favor of the application being granted. The yards wero about a mile and -a-half from, the hotel, and he thought the request was a reasonable one, and should be granted on the 6amc conditions as at Matawhero.

Mr L. C. Alien applied for a. conditional licence for Puliatikotiko saleyards. — The Chairman remarked that this had been, granted iv former years, and had been very well conducted each time. — Mr Caesar thought a feo of £2 would be too high m thi-. case, a_ the sale was only conducted on a sheep station, and there wero but few buyers, and not the outside public as at Matawhero. The bar was comply m a woolshed. — Mr Hepburn thought that Tttfaga ought to pay more than Putliatikotiko.— Tllie Chairman considered that they should all bo treated alike, with which Mr "Gray concurred', and the application was granted. . The Chairman said that it 'had been found that the bodroom accommodation at Tokga Bay liotcl was not sufficient, and the landlord liad decided to make some alterations. Mr Colley was m waiting upon the Committee with a plan of the alterations.— Mr Colley waa tlhen called m, and explained that it was proposed to extend the dining-room the width of the verandah, m order to shut off the private entrance fiom the bar. A building containing five roomji upstairs and the same number on the ground floor was proposed to be erected at the rear of the commercial room, but detached from the rest of the house.— The Committee agreed to the alterations, subject to the providing of another bathroom on tlie ground floor and a tire escape at tlm end of tho new wing.— -It was explained that tho alterations wero proposed to be effected before the forthcoming races held at the township m March