A LICENSING QUESTION.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 708, 1 October 1903, Page 22

A LICENSING QUESTION.

At last week’s meeting of the Invercargill Licensing Bench a decision of very great importance was given, says the “ Southland Times.” “As is well known, the Crescent Hotel was recently acquired for business premises by one of our large mercantile firms, and as the lease will presently be determined it became a question of what to do with the license. Mrs Bond, the present licensee, does not wish to continue in the business, and at the meeting applied for a transfer to Richard Blackham, formerly licensee of the White Swan Hotel, one of the houses ‘ reduced ’ at the annual meeting of the Licensing Committee in June. Asi the same premises are not available, however, it became neces*-

sarv to have the license attached to some other premises l ; but a removal to the White Swan is more than 440 yards from the Crescent —i.e., beyond the limit allowed by law for the removal of a license. It wasi proposed, therefore, that the Crescent license should be allowed to lapse, and that Mr Blackham should be granted a new license for the White Swan, for which he accordingly made application. After considering the question at length the Committee resolved that if Mrs Bond abandoned her license and Mr Blackham carries out certain alterations and improvements! required in the White Swan premises, his application for a license would be granted. Although the granting - of the license does not add to the number of licensed premises in town, it is technically a new license, and the decision of the Committee is therefore interesting in view of the very general opinion that when reduction has been carried it is beyond the power of the Committee to grant new licenses. The circumstances* are peculiar, as there is no breach of the spirit of the law. The Chairman, indeed, said that to take advantage of the position forced upon Mrs Bond would b* ‘an unrighteous abuse of power,’ but, nevertheless, the granting of the license appears to be in conflict with the letter of the law, and it will be interestibg to see if there are any developments.”