NO-LICENSE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14482, 1 July 1911, Page 6

NO-LICENSE.

HAS IT BEEN A FINANCIAL SUCCESS IN INVERCARGILLF (Published By Arrangements (Bv'C. W.Brown, Land and Estate Agent.) I notice that xhe above question has been agitating tho minds of several NbLiccnso Conventions lately, not only in r\ew ./.eaianu but in the Australian, colonies-also, and in order to set the matter at rest, 1 have taken out of tho Valuation Rolls, which were recently open .lor public ir-spec.tion, tome figures which I think will prove.of interest to your reader.-,, GLOOMY PREDICTIONS. It may bo explained tint it is only quite recently that any autihoritative opinion could be expressed upon tho progress which Inveiicargill Las been making since No-Licenso was. carried in 191)5. 'lire valuation roll, wliich should have come into operation in 1909, was withdrawn, owing to the large number .or'-objections lodged against it, consequently tho present roll is the only one itrider Which comparisons can be made I of 'fclie value of pronert-v under license, and for 'the r3ericd covered by NoLicense'.

-It may bo as well here to state that the gloomy predictions of those who anticipated all sorts of disasters in Do-c-ember, 1905 (when No-License was carried-), have not Wn fulfilled'. What were, thjjse in-ediotions? First, properiy_ was to be 'depreciated,' more especially hotel nropertv; second, wool sales were to be held at the Bluff instead of Tnverourgt!. and stock sales were to. ho held at Winton: third' country .people would not come'into the shows,; etc. None of these predictions have come true, and I will show presently that hotel property lias actually increased in value; wool and stock sales are still held in Invercargill; greater urowds than ever throng our streets on. show days. • . "HOTEL PROPERTY. But it was with the intention of 'looking into the value of hotel property that this article was written Til" figures for 1904 have been taken from the Municipal rate-book, which is upon for inspection by all ratepayers, and the ii.rui-es- for the present valuation hare been, as previously stated, taken from tnc valuation roll which. wa s r-a-centty.open for inspection. Tie roturn works out as follows: HOTELS. Siamu.of Hotel. Valuation] 004 Present" ' Cap. Value Cap. Value Crescent ... £O.OOO £7 6-50 Albion ... 9.7,11 12 ; 555 hupreiue- Court ... 2,517 1 100 Princess ... i.mo c.'aso shamrock ... 1.672 i.ooo Criterion ... 2;633 4275 JNorth Star ... 620 2'310 Carriers' Arms -.. 2.418 o'ssn J rir. L « of Y,ak 9 ... 3.715 4 790 £ ln .. b - 8,708 10,350 Railway _ ... 3>850 G 40Q iJeseblers ... 5,865 0,400 (-.iarendon ... 1.08,3 1 275 Park View ... y3O 'soO c •>■ 1,900 9.C00 White. Swac ... 3,010 5.700 V , £65,543 £B9 345 Deduct 1904 Valuation 65|043 And we have an increase of £23 802' Or nearly 36 J- per cent, during "'the' iso-i. iccnse period These are no fairy tales, but can be checked and re-checked bv anv .witep;iy :r applying to the proDar quarter 1.1 the usual way. It cannot, oi course, lie claimed that ail the iiv-orea-c :k d„« to Xo-Lioense. Southland, ol which Invercaniill j s the dis-Inlmt-mg centre, is bring rapidly dele.o.jed, and is coming to tbu front in rcjjarcl to dairy produce, etc., but the cry that property will W depreciated Hy Ao-Lieejiso ought surely to l>e Kihmccrl by fuverc-argfll experience. It "lift- Ti t0 - roinsxabercd that we tunc- at best only had PARTIAL XO-LICEXSE.

"With beer .depots established on the borders oi' tlio electorate, with an hotel lit "Wallacetown Crossing, within e:isy distance of Invexoarijill, with two breweries in full operation.', and with tour hotels at the Bluff, it can easily be imagined that InvoroargiU has not hod half a chance; but oven under all these disadvantages a. splendid record has been put up. The time will coino, however, when the Adjoining electorates will fall into line. Southland) would then form a compact area for ths operation of No-License.

It may be explained in reference to the return that the whole of the valuations are based on the capital value <i.e., land and buildings), with the. exception of the Prince of Wales. This is based oj: th,i unimproved value as the building iiaa h#Si; j-sjuoyed, V&4

confof|iiontlv nn nlhor'fomnnriisim could In- made. The land lias icoently been J-.'UHOcl fur 15 veins at an. annual .rental of £36Ci~m. rental which would have wiirninU'f! .'in .■uuiuiprocod value of £7,000, instead oi tho recorded valni' of-i'l/00. In only three in:!a.mvs, it will lnc- noted "in- the-return is tho vsiliKitioii-lesß .tlnni. in . WU. This is nccorintM'form the natural decay of thp- building. ' Llievi' lyf in<j a consulerablp incren.it> in flic. uni'innr/ived value in f-.K'lv «vso, lint tho aggregate, jotum of 3Gi per c«nt. nn'tlip hotel 'properties qnmvcd is'suroly j-ood enough to satisfy any < njidid-orioic It may, of ■course, be, snid .tlnit/H i.s expeoditnr<' of capital that.the increase has heeu brought about.. Just so; but husiness people do. wit usually invest mou-cy in n sinking ship, imd Jiivurenrgill waa, according to some people, voj-y much in thai position \Vlmm No-Lioo'iso van carried in 1905. , ■ ' ' "

The average peroe-ntn-go returns for increase, in the valuation of the whole or Greater. Invercargill are not yet availnblo,..but I ha.v» no doubt they will work out on similar linos to ■those recorded- on the-sovonteen -hotel, properties reforred' to.in this article. Vive of the hbtelfcs are, now occupied as shops and offices: ■ But it may bo asked:'. Has the closing- of tha• hotels interfvred with LEGITIMATE HOTEL-KEEPING, or with: the; tourist traffic'? The answer' to this' question .must be in the- negative. Tea-rooms have taken tho place 'of. hotel bars, and if ono can judge by statements made in tho local prcs, tho supply of sleeping accommodation is about to be materially increased. One hotel is.being onlargod by the addition of forty bedrooms. The Carriers' Arms lias recently been sold to ' the Palace Co. for £3,750 (a price considerably abovethot set down in the. valuation), and it has been stated that- it. is the intention of tlio proprietors .to remodel tlie old building, orecta- row of shoo.;, and use the- space ■ over those • for hotel accomodation, makirig_it one of. the- largest hotels .in the. .Dominion. This does not by, any means indicate that legitimate . hotel-keeping is killed out by- the-' removal of tho bars.