HOTEL LICENSES

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XLIX, Issue 9590, 19 August 1949, Page 3

HOTEL LICENSES

REDISTRIBUTION QUESTION POSITION IN THAMES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VIEW Although the Thames Chamber of Commerce would like to see all the hotel licenses in Thames retainied at the fitting of the Licensing Authority next week, the council felt, at its meeting last Monday evening, that no sound reason for the retention of the licenses could be put forward, barring the fact that the need for accommodation was acute. Discussion on the matter arose from a request from the Thames Borough Council for the chamber to consider giving evidence before the commission in support of greater permanent and seasonal accommodaion in the town. Mr J. H. Ensor agreed that more accommodation certainly was needed in Thames. “People come here and the hotels are not taking them at present—probably because of lack of staff,” he said. The Thames Bowling Club had an application in, similar to that of the Borough Council, stated Mr H. T. Gallop, as, during the Easter tournament, the club had great difficulty in securing accommodation for its visitors. All of the available accommodation at the seven hotels that catered for visitors was taxed to the utmost, he added. “On hearsay, only six hotels are going to stay on the map as far as this town is concerned,” said Mr E. L. Griffin.

“It is a foregone conculsion that some of them will go," added Mr Gallop. “But the question does arise about the necessary accommodation, which is essential and which we have not been able to get up to now.”

“Don’t you think that the accommodation might be better if they are not selling liquor?” asked Mr S. W. Donkin. “They might become boardinghouses catering for visitors; it would only be natural for some of them to become accommodation houses.”

Mr Griffin thought that a doubtful issue as far as the hotels owned by the breweries were concerned. Mr Gallop agreed with this view. The president, Mr T. W. Watson, pointed out that there was more bed space in Thames hotels than in any other town in the Auckland Province in relation to the population. He moved that the Borough Council’s request be acknowledged and that it be pointed out that, although the chamber would like to see all the licenses remain, it felt that it i v vld not put ui a sound reason to the commission for the retention of the licenses, but it considered the matter of accommodation should not be lost sight of. This was seconded by Mr Donkin and carried unanimously.