HOTEL LICENSES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 16, 19 June 1913, Page 6

HOTEL LICENSES.

A MATTER OF TRANSFERS. The chairman of the Patea Licensing Committee, Mr. Kenrick, S.M., stated, at' the adjourned meeting on Monday (says the Star) that he would like to reier to a small matter which he had intended to bring forward at the annual meeting That was in regard to the. practice of licensees and the disposal of v their licenses. It had come under his notice that licensees, when disposing of their interests in their license and premises, frequently signed an agreement with the incoming tenant that the matter must be completed by a given date, and in so doing they did not allow themselves time to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act. Before the matter must be completed under the agreement, sufficient time must be allowed to obtain a magistrate's certificate, a temporary and permanent transfer. The latter transfer had to be advertised three times before 21 clear days of the quarterly meeting, tnd the application had to be lodged 21 clear days before the meeting. To get over this difficulty application was made to the committee for a certificate of waiver under section 292. This was not a proper proceeding; that section was only intended to be used where something had been neglected or omitted to he done, but not wilfully. To dispose of a license and provide that the matter must be completed at a date which made it impossible to comply with the requirements oi tr/e Act was not a neglect or omission under section 292, and a certificate cannot be given to waive what had been deliberately done. If licensees were in doubt, they should obtain advice from their solicitors.