TRAFFIC IN LICENSES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11743, 20 September 1902, Page 5

TRAFFIC IN LICENSES.

WESTPORT. September 19,

At the Licensing Committee an application was made for a new license at Millerton, a colliery township, as the license had lapsed in another part of the district. Mr Hawkins, S.M. and chairman, spoke in'the (strongest terms of condemnation of any increase in the number of licenses, ajid forcibly opposed granting the application. He said this traffic in licenses was allowed by a slip in the law, but the practice certainly was^never intended by the Legislature. If the applicants bought licenses in this way, that was their look-out. The Committee had nothing to do with it. The duty of the Committee was to deal honestly with the business before them in the public interest. • To grant this application would give one license in every 150 people at Millerton. He was sure that was not intended by 'the Legislature. In England one license to 300 people was'considered a very high percentage. He was convinced that some clay the Legislature would legislate on the liquor laws oni the basis of population from the point of view of the people, and not from the point of view of brewers and publicans'. The position now was that in the Buller district there was a* license in existence to every 100 men, women, and children. If all these publi houses were really maintained by the people it meant that there was an enormous, waste of "money. As chairman, his duty was to oppose a farther increase of licenses. He appealed to the Committee-to refuse the application. They should nob allow the planting of licenses wherever publicans wished. It was proposed to catch the men as they came out of tihe coal-pit and tempt them to drink. The Committee adjourned; the application;.

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