Sydenham Licensing Committee.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5220, 28 January 1885, Page 4

Sydenham Licensing Committee.

.«. A special meeting of the Sydtnhain Licensing Committee was held at the Borough Council office at 3 p.m. yesterday j present — Messrs G. Booth, It. M. Taylor, J. A. Eankin, and J. Forrester. On the motion of Mr Forrester, seconded by Mr Eankin, Mr Booth wiu voted to the chair. The Chairman said that he must apologise for the forgetf ulness which hadcaused hia absence from the meeting called for last -week. He had been at another meeting, and had' remembered -nothing about the Committee till too late. It was the first time Mb memory had played him such a triok. Mr Taylor said that ho objected to the business as being out of order. He would have to enter a protest, which he would like Mr Walker to record. The Chairman: said that, in order to explain why the meeting had been called, he would read a letter which he had received from the Clerk to the Committee. Mr Booth then read the following letter :— " Christchurch, Jan. 16, 1885. " Sir, — I have the honour to draw your attention to the following facts in connection with the license of the Sandridge Hotel. On Nov. .25 la3t Mr Walls, the licensee, lodged with me an application for a temporary transfer to John Galloway Thompson ; and, folio .ving tho usual practice, I referred the matter to the police for their report. That report was unfavourable to Mr Thompson, as it stated that he was very much to drink, and at the late quarterly meeting of the Committee, when all the members were present except Mr Langdown, I brought tho matter forward, and after considering the police report it was unanimously agreed that the transfer should not be granted should it bo applied for in due course. I-fiow" learli"by a report of the police that a temporary transfer ha 3 been granted to Thompson by Messrs Taylor and Langdown without further consultation with the other ineinbera of the Committee, and in the face of the unfavourable report of the police. I would point out that when the Licensing Act provides that a register of all applications in connection with licenses is to bo kept by the Clerk to the Committee, it is clear that everything appertaining to licenses should pass through his hands, between the applicant and the Committee, and that unless such practice i 3 followed strictly the provision is rendered nugatory. I may add further that the foe duo to the Crown for the certificate to ißaue the transfer has not been paid to mo, and that it is doubtful whether, until such fee is paid, the transfer is in force. Hitherto it has always been understood that no member of tho Committee would act unlesß satisfied by nic that the proceedings were formal, but it matters are to be dealt with a3 in this instance, I must decline all responsibility in connection with the register. — I have, &c, W. G. Walker, Clerk to the Committee." The Chairman said that whon he received the letter he felt it hie duty to go and see Mr Walker, not with tho idea that because he had been elected Chairman of tho last meeting ho was, therefore, Chairman of the Committee, but simply because he was a member, and because Mr Walker had been j'kased to address him. Mr, Walker and himself had seen Mr Pendor, and they had come to the conclusion that nothing could bo done to prevent the transfer beingeffected, as tho Act provided that any two members* of the Coucmittee could grant a temporary transfer. B,ufc,at the same tiuio, m Sir Walker plainly indicated, if such a course aa hud been taken were pursued, it

would place him (Mr "Walker) in a very 1 awkward position, as everything connected with tho Committee ought to pass through his hands. He thought that Mr Walker, having had considerable experieace of these matters, knew better than anyone else how things ought to be done. It had been thought beat, under all the circumstances, to Bimply lay the facts before the Committee, and to let the Committee act as they thought best. Mr Taylor said that though he coincided with a groat deal of what Mr Walker had said; still, in justice to Mr Langdowu and himself, ho might 6ay . that tho evidenco upjn which they had acted was not before the Committee when the application for the transfer was refused. That evidenco was a statutory declaration in favour of MlThompson's character, signed by five members of the Licensing Bench in Dunedin. This evidence could be seen at Messrs Wynn-Williams and Deacon's office. He' had no self-interest in the matter whatever, but as the transfer was only of v temporary nature, he felt disposed to give the man a chance. Mr Walker said that he would not presume to dictate to the Committee, but he would like to say that if the document mentioned by Mr Taylor had come bofore him, he would have felt it his duty to lay it before the Committee. Mr Taylor said that he found nothing in the Act to indicate that a meeting of the Committee was to bo called to consider the acts which the members had authority to do. He himself might just aa well convene a meeting to consider the transfer of the license of the Lancaster Park Hotel, or any other temporary transfer, so that the Committee might hold a meeting every day if the law was not carried out in its integrity. Aa Mr Taylor, when speaking, seemed to confine his attention to the Chairman, Mr Booth enquired if he was addressing him and ignoring the Committee. Mr Taylor replied that he had a perfect right to address the chair, and- was not ignoring the Committee. He asked Mr Walker if he held possession of tho license of the Sandridge Hotel. Mr Walker replied that he did not. Mr Taylor said that Mr Walker should do. Clause 91 of the Act provided that the Clerk should hold the license of any house in respect of which a temporary transfer waa applied for. Mr Walker said that Sir Taylor had pro-, bably not got the Act of 1882, which laid down that the Clerk must enter the particulars of the transfer and return the license to the holder, instead of retaining, aa provided in section 01 of the old" Act. Mr Taylor enquired if the license' had been before Mr Walker. Mr Walker replied that it had not. The Chairman asked Mr Taylor if Mr Langdown knew of .the previous decision of the Committee, when he asked him to sign the transfer, Mr Taylor : Did I a3k him ? The Chairman : When you got his signature. Mr Taylor : When I got it ! If you want the evidence upon which the transfer was signed, you must go to Messrs Wynn-Wil-liams and Deacon. I thought that five gentlemen, members of the Duuedin Licensing Committee, ought to know what they were about when they signed the declaration. Mr Walker ': They were not cognisant of all the circumstances. Mr Rankin, to Mr Taylor : Did you not ask me to sign the transfer ? Mr Taylor : Ye 3, and you refused. The Chairman said that the only complaint was, that after the whole Committee had refused the application, a member of the Committee had signed, knowing that it had been refused. Mr Taylor said he had acted on the declaration he had referred to. The Chairman said that Mr Langdown was very angry at having been led into signing the transfer, as ho had no idea that the Committee had objected to it. Had be known that he would certainly never have signed it. Mr Taylor said that lie himself had signed the transfer to give the man a chance. Mr Langdown had acted on the same evidence as he had. , . Mr Walker said that though the law laid down that the transfer Bhould come to him for registration, no penalty was provided if this were not done. , Mr Taylor had thought that there was to be no meeting of the Committee till the next quarterly one. Mr Walker said that the Committee had an inherent right to hold a meeting at any timo for special businesb. Mr Forrester regretted that Mr Langdown wa3 not present. Mr Taylor said that he had not spoken to Mr Langdown on the subject, nor had he induced him to sign tho transfer. He thought it was signod when it came to himself. Mr Walker said that Mr Langdown had told him that it was signed wlien' it came to him. Had it not been he would not have signed it. He (Mr Walker) would like to have an expression of opinion from the Committee that no matter should be dealt with unless it came through him. Mr Forrester moved — " That no business be transacted by any members of the Committee without the application being first referred to the Clerk to the Committee." Mr Taylor seconded the motion, which waa> carried. The Committee then adjourned.