TRADE TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 390, 13 January 1898, Page 16

TRADE TOPICS.

A cable from the Old World announces that the Russian Government has decided to assume state control over the sale of alcohol. “ Was he drunk ? ” Yes, your worship, he was teetotally drunk,” answered a witness at the Melbourne district court a few days ago. “Humph 1 That ginger wine again, I suppose,” murmured the magistrate.

On Thursday evening last news was received from Wellington that notice had been officially given to the four inspectors appointed under the Licensing Act to generally supervise the liquor traffic, and in particular, to make an analysis of liquor sold, that their services will not be required after the 31st March next. Ministers explain that this action was taken in consequence of the resolution passed by the House of Representatives when in Committee of Supply upon the estimates of the Justice Department, reducing the vote by £1 as an expression of opinion that the inspectors services should be dispensed with. The following is a specimen of the talk of prohibitionists : —“ During the last six months the Rev. J. J. Duke has seen (so he said at a recent prohibition meeting at Christchurch) more drunkenness in the streets and in the trains than he had seen the two years previous to that. He was not going to say that drunkenness was increasing, but it was more wantonly open. If drunkenness was becoming open and wanton in our streets it meant that the time would come when the communitv would not have such exhibitions. The Rev F. W. Isitt, in supplementing these remarks, said there was not half the drunkenness in Christchurch that there was in Wellington, and not the fifth in Wellington there was in Sydney. In the streets of the latter city he had seen drunkards in hundreds. Of course, poor Sydney must suffer. It was there that the Rev and Charitable Isitt asserted that a clergyman had been seen drunk in the gutter, but when cornered he refrained from giving the name of his informant. It was there too that he defamed a police officer, but a Commission found that there was not the slightest, foundation for the charges which the truthful exponent of prohibition had made. After that, surely we are not bound to believe the wholesale charge of drunkenness levelled against Sydney by the man in holy orders. The South Australian Licensed Victuallers’ Bill has been ignominiously thrown out of Parliament there. Its provisions were very drastic, and the Trade is pleased at the victory achieved. Under its provisions the police had power to make forcible entry into hotels on Sundays, and search every part of the house. The late Mrs Tidy, of Rochester, who met her death on the 12th ult. by a coaching accident in New Zealand, was buried at the White Hills cemetery, near.Bendigo, in December, states the Sportsman. For many years Mrs Tidy -was a well known and respected member of the Trade, her house at Rochester being most popular with travellers and residents. When the deceased lady met her death here she was announced to be a resident of Melbourne, and consequently there were friends in Auckland who failed to identify her by the newspaper reports with the wellknown Mrs Tidy, of Rochester, a township 140 miles from Melbourne. Mr Tidy, the deceased’s husband who died some j ears ago, was a wellknown and respected publican and a liberal supporter of coursing and horse racing. On Friday, Messrs E. Mahoney and Son, the architects engaged, received tenders for the erection of a new hotel on the site of the Shakespeare Hotel at the junction of Wyndham and Albert Streets. The tender of Messrs J. J. Holland was accepted, their estimated price being £3287. This was the lowest tender sent in. Mr Foley’s new establishment will be a fine building and a great, improvement to the situation. The following is the architects’ description:—“The new hotel will be four storeys in height, exclusive of basement 5 it will be erected in brick, the front being of pressed brick with cement facings. The basement will be subdivided into kitchen, laundry, wine and beer cellars. On the ground floor are two private bars, and a public bar, three large sitting-rooms and-office. There will be two entrances —one from Wyndham Street, and the other from Albert Street. On the first storey is a fine dining room, 30 by 21, with pannelled ceiling, sitting rooms, and three bedrooms. The second floor is subdivided into 10 bedrooms, with bathroom, etc. In the attic are four bedrooms. There is a lift from the basement to the diningroom. A handsome staircase springs from the ground floor, six feet in width, giving access to all the floors. Every attention has been paid to ventilation, etc, and to give the hotel all the equipment and accessories of a first-class establishment. The contract time is four i months. I What constitues a bona fide traveller has just i been decided in Scotland by Lord Trayner. The licensee of the Eagle Hotel, in Dundee, was fined by the local bench for Sunday trading. On the 22nd August last two professional comedians came to Dundee after a journey of eighty miles, and took lodgings ata boarding house. An hour and a half later they went out for a stroll, and called at the Eagle for a drink, telling the landlord who they were. In quashing the decision of the local bench, Lord Trayner said the men were, to all intents and purposes, bona fide travellers. The licensee had made such enquiries as absolved him from liability under the statute. It was sufficient for him to know that the men he served were not residents of Dundee. The landlord had acted in a reasonable manner, and, therefore, the conviction would be quashed. It might be added that Lord Trayner is a high legal authority, and our local benches might well profit by his dictum. Mr Carroll Nash, proprietor of the Mackaytown Hotel, Paeroa, died on Monday at the advanced age of 76. Mr Nash was born in Ireland, and for some years w a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary. He came out to New Zealand in 1864, and was appointed chief warder at the Auckland Gaol. In ISfi 7 be joined in the rush to the Thames and opened the old Munster Hotel, ai the corner of Richmond and Pollen Streets, with Mr Dunn Business was very brisk until the “slump” of 1869. On the opening of the < hiuemuri goldfield, Mr Nash commenced business at the Mackaytown Hotel, where he continued ever since. During his long stay in the district he made “ troops of friends.” Mr Nash always took a lively interest in matters connected

with the Ohinemuri county, and his level headedness in business affairs caused him to be frequently consulted by his fellow townsmen. The funeral took place at Paeroa Cemetery on Tuesday. Mr Ross, who has been so long identified with the Royal Hotel, Thornden, Wellington, recently purchased the lease and goodwill of the Panama Hotel, in the same city. Mr Ross ex’ends a hearty welcome to all his friends in and out of the Empire City, who will be pleased to learn that Mr Ross still remains in Wellington, though in new quarters.

Mindful of the season, Mr James Kennedy, of the Sandridge Hotel, Sydenham, sends us a very nicely got up Christmas card and calendar. Inside is a photograph of Mr Kennedy, to whom we wish all the good he himself desires. The English Licensing Commission has concluded taking evidence in Scotland, and next month will sit in various parts of Ireland. Its report is expected to be very valuable to the Trade.

Sydney seems to be honeycombed with illicit stills. During the last twelve months no less than fourteen illicit stills have been discovered in that city. The latest was found at the end of December, when a printer named Christopher Williams had a fine of £lOO, or twelve months imprisonment, imposed for being in possession of an illicit stall.

The police authorities of Victoria, stales the Melbourne Sportsman of January 5, are apparently not inclined to take any risks in licensing prosecutions. The practice has recently grown up of preferring three or four charges against a licensee when one would be sufficient. At the Melbourne District Court last Wednesday the practice was strongly condemned. The accused was charged with Sunday trading, having the bar open, permitting drunken persons on the premises, etc. At the suggestion of the bench, all the charges save that of Sunday trading were withdrawn. Why were they brought at all ? “Passingham v. King” was an action which came before Mr Justice Kennedy without a jury in November last, states the London Licensed Victuallers Gazette — “ The action was brought by Passingham and Hall, public-house brokers, to recover from Mr Jacob King, of the Albert Edward, Albert Road, Kilburn, £lOO as an agreed commission upon his finding a purchaser for the house. The defendant disputed the sale. Mr Russell, Q, C., said the defendant was in December last the owner of the Albert Edward, Kilburn, and he was desirous of disposing of it. On the 23rd of December Mr Bird, the plaintiff’s, manager, had an interview with him, and received particulars, and was instructed to find a purchaser. It was arranged that the commission should be £lOO, and the plaintiff could recover £lOO or nothing, and the only question was whether any commission was payable. The plaintiff communicated with various clients, and furnished them with particulars, and on the 30th December Mr Vines had an interview with the defendant at his house in Brighton, when it was arranged that the former should purchase the. house for £19,750, pay a deposit of £250 down, and sign a contract on the 4th of January. On the 31st of December Mr Bird, under the in-' structions of the defendant, prepared the contract and inventory. On January 4 the contract was entered into. Subsequently the time of completion was extended, and Vines paid another deposit of £250. Vines never compleied the purchase, and the house still remained in the defendant’s possession. The plaintiff claimed that as he had introduced a purchaser who had entered into a binding contract, he was entitled to commission, inasmuch as there was no dispute that the plaintiff brought Vines and the defendant together. Mr King stated that the agreement had not been carried out, and he was quite ready and willing to carry it out and then to p.y the plaintiff his £lOO commission; and he contended that as no purchase had in fact been carried out he was not liable to pay any commission. Mr Justice Kennedy said that in his opinion the plaintiff was clearly entitled to succeed, and gave judgment for the plaintiff for £lOO and costs, but granted a stay of execution on the usual terms.