DEFINING LICENSED PREMISES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 89, 3 June 1911, Page 3

DEFINING LICENSED PREMISES.

STA BLHS ADJOINING HOTELS. SIWICIKNT SEPARATION DEMANDED. At the silting <>l the Licensing Committee yesteiday there was considerable discussion regarding the (,!t Tiuinj>; of licensed inemise-. ilia discussion a: use over the 10.)o»viii}>; repm I oy Conscaulo I’Tt/.gib!>aii regaining the 1 Aaii>va.\ Hotel. 1 nglcwoed;—'’-Adjoining tru nUove liotel are livers slnhfcs in the occupation of Mr. \\ . hi- G rosier. lh-‘ freehold ol the stables is owned hj Mr James Hawkins, who also owns tiio hotel. A door .leads ironi the yfcabies into the hack yard ol the hotel, and was put there, T understand, for the purpose of allowing the stable hands to use the w.c. and urinal on the licensed iiremises of the Railway Hotel. Tins door gives access from the stables to licensed premises at all hours of the day and night, including Sundays, . tuovoby making police -supervision .almost impossible. The late licensee, Mr. 1,01 d, locked this door , on my suggestion, hut Mr. Grazier, 1 stand, broke it open again. The preeeut licensee, Airs. O’rNei!!, employed •i carpenter to do some work about the hotel, including the blocking up of this door, imfc Crosier again interfered and would not allow it to he ■done until Hawkins connected the 1 stallles with the sewer. Mr. Hawkins lias been notified by the town Clerk that the present sanitary arrangements are unsatisfactory, and to connect the stables with the sower ; but ho has failed to do so, 01 even to reply to the clerk’s letter. With this door it is impossible to carry out the licensing daws in regard to one of its most serious branches—the supply -of liquor to piohibitecl persons, ns they can enter- the stables’ and pass unseen into the back yard, ami, with the aid ot confederates, bo. supplied with as much liquor as they*can conveniently take, and pass again through the stables to the street, and to the casual observer they will appear to have been doing business with the proprietor of the stables. I therefore strongly recommend that tHis dooi bo permanently blocked up.” Sergeant Dart said tiio police weie desirous of having the licensed premises proporlv defined. Mr. Ken rick said there seemed some weight in the request, because there was always a doubt as to what promises were included in the license. . .... Sergeant Dart said it might not )>e accessary to put up. a fence, if the door from the back of one of the stalls was blocked up. About stables there were usually to be found people addicted to drink. r i he lessee of tiie stables said he would not close up the door because lie had been given permission by the owner for ids employees to use the hotel conveniences. The owner of the stables was also the owner of the hotel. Mr. Hookes, who appeared for the licensee, Airs. O’Neill, said the responsibility for a contract ol that land rooted entirely with the owner. There was nothing in the licensee’s loose about the matter. He believed that the hack wall of Ike stable was on the boundary, so that it constituted a ■ fence. So:goal.L Dart said the Committee could not order the licensee to close tiie door,’-which was not on her premises, but they could l ■order a fence ta l,»o creeled, it might cost CTO to put up a fence, while the door could no closed up at practically no cost. He therefore made application that an order for fencing be made, but intimated that the police would Ire satisfied it the door was closed., Mr. Ken rick said that while ; the conditions continued as they were there was always a possibility, of charges being laid of being on licensed premises, and it was therefore reasonable for the police to demand fencing. Mr. Hookes said Ids client had promised that she would do everything possible to get over the dilticulty. Sergeant jDart doubted if that would meet the case. The application for a license was adjourned for a short time, and when it was again brought up, Mr. Hookes said Ids client had on the ground tiie timber necessary to effect the blocking of the door. On this understanding the license was granted. When C. M. Bergin (Mr. Malone) applied for a renewal of the license ol the Inglewood Hotel the matter was further discussed. Constable Fitzgibbon reported as follows on the hotel:—“I beg to report that in the case of the above-mentioned hotel (C. Af. Bergin, licensee), the back-yard of the licensed premises adjoins the front yard of. Huston’s livery stables., There is no fence to divide licensed premises from private property, winch I consider very unsatisfactory to the public, .the police and the licensee, besides making proper supervision almost impossible. The stables stand back, f rom tide .street and are approached by a right-of-way, the property of Mr .Huston,, .and if persons come , out of life,. right-of-way (say, after closing; 1 hours) it. is impossible to know,, whether they are coining from tile ,pdable,s or .from .the licensed premises. The present arrangements offer a splendid inducement to persons likely to tempt a licensee during prohibited hours, as a few stops from the back door of the iiotei takes them into the stable yard, a place, of course, w Inch is much frequented late at night. ! have spoken to tiie licensee about it. and lie explains that if a fence was put np he would Jiavo no cart entrance to his back yard, which, i venture to say, is a very poor excuse to put forward, as at present the licensee Can only get a cart to his hack premises by using Hpcto'u’s, right-of-way, and Huston could'object at'.,any time. The hotel stands on the corner of Alaiai and Kelly .Streets, and the right-of-way mentioned is on the former street. 'On Kelly: street at present I here is a.n on (ranee (hut not used) for pedestrian's only, and this, 1 lit” very little expense, could bo made to admit a cart. I recommend Thai a fence bo creeled of r.uflieienl’ height to properly diride licensed -premises from private property, ail'd thereby prevent probably innocent persons iTom prosecution and make it dilil- , ,Tl for those who arc always looking for ail opportunity to (mint liaen vr.s to do so.” Auer considerable discussion the chan man announced ! hat tiie renewal would be granted, but that the licensee would be called upon to erect some barrier at the right-of -v. ay, with the permission of the owner of the si able a, everything within the harrier to bo regarded as I ire used premises. Hup-rails would suffice. '1 here rails could bn kenl down all day, but must be pat tip al night. The Goimnittoe thought their request was entirely reasonai.'!?.