LICENSING SQUABBLES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5503, 2 March 1896, Page 1

LICENSING SQUABBLES.

[Peb Pbess Association.] . WELLINGTON, Feb. 29. For some time past there has been a good deal of friction over the hotel business in Masterton, and quite recently Tucker, landlord of one of the hotels, was fined for Sunday trading, against which an appeal was made. The chief witnesses were Fitzsimmons and his son, while some witnesses showed a remarkable absence of memory. Phillips, another landlord, was also fined for a similar offence, and, as in the former case, the fine was increased to enable the defendant to appeal. Fitzsimmons's son, who was a witness in the first case, was, a day or two ago, along with' another lad, named Urquhart, arrested, and to-day charged with stealing plums from the. premises of J. Tucker. Theaccused were cbnvicted and discharged. The. defence was an extraordinary one, a suggestion that the' police and Tucker had \ employed a third party: to decoy the accused into a garden which was owned by Tucker, a licensee recently fined; Another licensing feature in the same district is that Mr Hutchison, S.M., has refused a permit for a license for the show grounds, &c. This, too, led to a good deal of controversy. However, two members of the Masterton licensing bench have' granted a certificate for a conditional license for the races at Whakataki, and a license has been issued despite i^auif act that the chairman of the bench,. -^tlilield his signature. A libel action by several of the publicans against the Times, Masterton, arising out of certain comments on-JJie, manner in -which they are conducting their houses, is still pending.