METROPOLITAN HOTEL LICENCE SUSPENDED FOR FURTHER QUARTER

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 September 1950, Page 2

METROPOLITAN HOTEL LICENCE SUSPENDED FOR FURTHER QUARTER

The licence for the Metropolitan Hotel, badly damaged by fire in December of last year, was further suspended by the Wanganui Licensing Committee, at its quarterly meeting yesterday, for a period of throe months. The suspension is to enable certain conditions in the rebuilding of the hotel to be complied with. Mr. A. B. Wilson, appearing for the trustees of the John Brennan estate, owners of the freehold, asked that, the application for a renewal of a publican’s licence for the premises be adjourned for a further period of three months. “Certain developments are pending and I wculd ask that this matter be held over till the committee's next quarterly meeting,” said Mr. Wilson. “I hope to have something definite to put before the committee then." The chairman. Mr. S. S. Preston, S.M.: We undermstand that the previous licensee has no further interest in the hotel? Mr. Wilson: We have not yet completed taking over from him. “The committee has decided that the requirements, as laid down at its annual meeting in June, should stand, and for the purpose of enabling these conditions to be carried out the licence will be further suspended till the next quarterly meeting in December.” said the chairman. The committee had no power tn cancel the licence. This could onlv lie done by the Licensing Control Commission, and it was hoped tnat the commission would str in Wanganui earlv in the New Year to review the nosition of all hotel licences in the city. A decision to suspend the licence of the Metropolitan Hotel till certain conditions were complied with was made by the committee at its annual meeting in June. Subsequently, this decision was the subject of appeal before the commission at a special sitting i n Wanganui, but the appeal was dismissed. Conditions laid down by the committee included the provision of temporary private and public bars to the satisfaction of the sanitarv insnector and the committee, the submission to the committee of plans and specifications for new premises providing for no fewer than 25 bedrooms (excluding Haff quarters) and of three star standard or better, and that thn licensee give an undertaking that the construction would be commenced and comnleted within such time as the committee thought reasonable.