CHOPS & CHANGES

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 441, 5 January 1899, Page 18

CHOPS & CHANGES

Another big hotel fire in Wellington, fortunately no lives being lost. Several transfers of licenses will be petitioned for shortly after the holidays are over. Strict Sunday closing was adhered to throughout the city on New Year’s Day (Sunday last). Our next local option fight is going to be a hard one. Are we properly prepared ? Fortnightly meeting of the committee of th© Licensed Victuallers’ Association this week. Statistics inform that the’consumption of beer per head in the United Kingdom is thirtyone gallons annually.

Sign in front of a back-blocks Queensland reeturant:—Feed, six-pence; square meal, shilling ; perfect gorge, half-crown. \ The Napier papers state that not a single drunk was “ run-in” there on Christmas Eve. Bravo ! Napier! Not a conviction has been recorded for selling after hours in Auckland since the 11 o’clock extension has been in operation. “Prohibition is the exercise of tyranny by one section of the community over another section and is doomed to failure.” A publican is as good as a prohibitionist,; only more so.— Australian. Wine, Spirit, and lobacco t News. Inspector Gillies left the Thames for Auckland on Tuesday en route to the West Coast district to which he was recently promoted. We regret to heur that Mr Copeland’s Bill for the legitimising of Sunday trading under certain conditions in New South Wales has been shelved for the’present. The North Shore hotel-keepers have been busy paying the extra fees and making arrangements for the 11 o’clock extension, which come into operation at the beginning of the year. \ Mr Ryan is beginning to think ,he got a good bargain in taking over the United Service Hotel since the Pollard Company commenced their season. Mr James Shaw, late mayor of Adelaide and first mayor of Coolgardie, is on his usual annual visit -o New Zealand. His family are stopping at the Grand Hotel, Rotorua, Mr Parker, of the Aurora Hotel, has had his house very full during the holidays, and at one ■ ■ time had one hundred and fifty six guests sleepthere. ... The rush during the recent holidays has. made it more evident than ever that the majority of the hotels in Auckland want larger and more commodious bars.

One of the cool places for a lounge in Auckland during this hot weather is in the snuggery of the private bar at the Criterion Hotel. Mr Buxton has had the room fitted up very tastefully and comfortably;

Mr W. Geaoh has completed his new and commodious hotel at Whatawhata, and will be ready to receive guests when the races come on there. He has built more boxes and stalls for racehorses, and has ample paddock accommodation. The English Chancellor of the Exchequer expressed himself lately as glad that the consumption of beer was increasing, first, because, it increased the revenue, and, second, because it was a legitimate trade. It is intended to make extensive alterations in the bar-room otthe Waverly Hotel. The architect now has the plans in hand, and a large circular bar will be erected, with a private bar partitioned off at one end. The improvements and additions which are being made to Mr A. Kidd’s Commercial Hotel are under the supervision of Mr George Rhodes, builder and contractor, who was formerly licensee of the United Service Hotel, Auckland.

All Mr G. S. Budge’s friends will hear with pleasure of his winning the Derby. He is not only a game racehorse owner, but a very popular publican, and for his confreres in the Trade we extend our congratulations.

Un pour tout ; tout pour tin — one for all; .all for one—is a good motto for the Licensed Victuallers’ Association,- and the more far-seeing and logical members of the Trade are beginning to recognise the fact.

With the exception of the late Sir Polydore de Keyser, of the big hotel at Blackfriars, only one licensed victualler actually engaged in his busi--1 ness has held the position of Lord Mayor of London. This gentleman was Sir Samuel Dashwood, vintner, who was Lord Mayor in 1702-3. Captain Kelmsley, Superintendent of the Wellington Fire Brigade, has resigned, owing to the criticisms passed on his management by the Council anent the Royal Oak Hotel fireHe speaks in the most complimentary manner of the men who have served under him.

Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, the English Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the course of a speech at the Hotel Metropole a short time back, stated that 35,000,000 barrels of beer were produced in the United Kingdom during the last financial year.

According to a decision of the county sessions at Wareham, England, recently, a publican is not compelled to sell to any traveller or applicant, even during his regular hours. He is permitted " to exercise his own judgment as to whether he - will serve or not.

The Glen Var wine is making rapid strides in popularity in the North Island. The pity is that although Mr Stimpson has an excellent display at the Exhibition, the public can only feast their eyes and not their palates. It’s a case of “ you may look, but you mustn’t touch.” The Royal Commission on Licensing for the consideration of the draft report will meet early in January in London. The general opinion amongst members is against any drastic change in the licensing laws, although the need of salutary reform in some particulars is admitted.

The Exhibition has taken a lot of money away from the hotels during the holidays. Guests come home late and want a drink for themselyes and friends, but the strict closure that has been so rigidly and honestly adhered to has been a cause of annoyance to both landlords and tenants.

Mr H. W. Northcroft, the Wanganui StiEndiary Magistrate, is now on a visit to Auckid. Taking merely the subject of the ex officio 1 position of chairman of the Licensing Bench that his successor, Mr Brabant, holds we are free to admit that we tearfully regret Mr Northcroft having ever been transferred.

The insurance companies interested have settled the loss on the Royal Oak Hotel building with Mr S. Gilmer for £11,500. The amount paid on the furniture was £5,000, and on the stock £675, or a grand total of insurances paid of £17,175.

The annual quantity of beer consumed throughout the world, it is stated, amounts to 17,700,000,000 litres or quarts. Of this amount 5,000,000,000 quarts are made in Germany ; in Great Britain and Ireland, 4,790,000,000 ; in the United States, 3,200,000,000 ; and AustriaHungary, 1,350,000,000, Belgium produces and consumes yearly 1,500,000,000 quarts of beer: France, 840,000,000; and all the Russias only 400,000,000 quarts.