TRADE TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1083, 8 December 1910, Page 21

TRADE TOPICS.

It is understood that the City Hotel, Auckland, will shortly change hands, Mrs Lynch, late of the Clarendon, replacing Mr Stimpson, who is taking a prolonged spell.

It is reported that young men of Wellington, between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-three, who wish to obtain liquid refreshments from the hotels, now carry their certificates with them.

A Masterton man has solved the problem of the new Licensing Act. He is living at a local boarding house, and was seeing a friend away by a cab. He could not ask the friend to have a drink on the premises, and so he took the whisky and glass on to the public thoroughfare, where the friend partook liberally, and apparently legally, of his hospitality.

There is no longer any excuse for etxravagant language on either side, and the Prohibitionists certainly will not help their cause by assuming that everyone who does not see eye to eye with them on the liquor question has no sense of fair play, and no concern for the welfare of the community.—“Lyttelton Times.”

Mr S. T. Anderson, Government vine and wine instructor, expresses the opinion that under the existing conditions in New Zealand the industry is practically doomed.

We learn that Mrs Lucena has disposed of her interest in the Waimate Hotel to Mr W. Bellve, formerly proprietor of the Federal Hotel, Wanganui.

The effect of the Licensing Act of this session upon the entry of liquor into the King Country was explained to a “New Zealand Times” representative by Mr A. H. Holmes, clerk of the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington. “A very important amendment has been made to the Licensing Act of 1908 by the amending Act passed this session,” said Mr Holmes, “whereby section 147 of the Act of 1908 has been made to apply to areas proclaimed in section 2 72- The effect of this amendment is that the Rohe Potae (or King Country) is now on a similar footing to the No-License areas, and notice must be given of all liquor passing in, in the same way as in the No-License areas. The clerk of the Court at Ohakune has been appointed for that portion known as the Upper Wanganui district, and the clerk of the Court at Te Kuiti for Kawhia.”

The clause in the new Licensing Acx. prohibiting the consumption of liquor on hotel premises by youths and young men under the age of 21 years, is already being enforced in the Wellington hotels. On Saturday last the clause was put to the test, and barmaids refused to serve in cases where they thought the applicant was under the prohibited age. It is, however, not altogether easy to distinguish ages between 21 and 23, and some of the refusals on Saturday night, it is said, caused not a little friction on the part of those who experienced the operation of the new law.

The quarterly sitting of the Thames Licensing Bench was held on Friday, Mr F. J. Burgess, S.M., presiding. The police report was favourable as regards the conduct of the licensed hotels throughout the district, some small repairs only being asked for in several of the Coromandel .houses, which the owners agreed to have carried out as soon as possible. The following transfers were granted:— Ballarat Hotel, Coromandel, from A. G. Stewart to J. W. Hopper; Coromandel Hotel, from D. Robinson to M. Breen; Kuaotunu Hotel (Kuadtunu), from L. Woodcock to R. G. Munroe; Shortland Hotel (Thames), from S- Kahn to J. Yankovich; Lady Bowen Hotel (Thames), from E. L. Bradley to F. W. Robinson.

A cable the judges at the Brewers’ Exhibition report that colonial wines are generally very satisfactory, showing marked improvement in condition compare ed with previous exhibits. It isevident that growers and merchants understand that the better classes of wines.j are most suitable to Britain, and that muscatels are little appreciated here. Sparkling wines have markedly improved,,but are still not equal to Continelital. The judges regret that more shippers were not re- ■ presented, especially. Victorian -and West Australian. T * * * *

The new Licensing Act has come in for considerable discussion at Waihi. Much speculation is centred around interpretation of the clauses dealing with the storage of liquor, no definite reference being made to the matter of permanent boarders at private hotels and boarding houses (there being scores of them here) having liquor for their own private consumption stored in their own rooms. If a boarder’s room is not to be interpreted as his domicile, then it means absolute prohibition to him, and not merely no-license. The question is being actively discussed in Waihi, and regret is expressed that the Act is not clear on the point, as much trouble may ensure, requiring the usual test case to make the law plain and understandable.

There were no less than 57 woolbuyers stopping in one hotel in Napier on Tuesday of last week.

The Hon- Dr. Findlay (AttorneyGeneral) agrees with the view expressed by legal authority in Dunedin that under the provisions of the new Public Holidays Act hotels will have to close on the Monday following Christmas Day.

The usual batch of prosecutions for bringing liquor into a kainga, came forward at the Magistrate’s Court at Taumarunui on Monday. One of the accused, a stranger, was greatly surprised on learning that Taumarunui was still, in the eye of the law, a “Maori pah.” “I stayed at Mick Burke’s,” said the man. “Is Mick then a Maori in the eye of the law?” The magistrate gave it up. Tn one case the liquor seized was ordered to be destroyed. In the case of the stranger his whisky, which was of a special invalid brand, 25 years old, was restored to him on his satisfying the Court that it was to be used only for medicinal purposes.

Mr A. S. Adams, who is an acknowledged expert on the licensing law, clears up one point in regard to the new Act which is now in force. It has been said that hotels on the West Coast and elsewhere which close at eleven o’clock instead of ten can continue to do so until the next poll is taken. “That is not so,” said Mr Adams. “The eleven o’clock extension is not a license, which may be dealt with at meetings of licensing committees. It would be illegal for any licensing committee to grant such an extension next year.”

At a meeting of the Waikato Licensing Committee, held at Hamilton dp Monday, a complaint was receiver! from the police -regarding the Star Hotel stables •at Kihikihi: W‘MaeDiarmid, on behalf of: promised that the necessary? .'alterations would be made fqtthwith'. With reference to th’e- publican’s booth at the late Waikato' '-Show, the police reported? that' although the conduct of the booth had been exemplary in other respects, the licensee had not been present on the second day of the show. It was decided that in future, in the case of conditional licenses, the liquor must be sold under the personal supervision of the licensee. - • ;. .

It is a well-known fact that Mr Corley, of 115, Hobson-street, has a wide reputation for good bread and appetising small goods. Established in 186 6, the business has a very firm foundation, Mr Corley, by his thoroughness and attention to every detail, having built it up to the standard it now enjoys. Everything turned out by this firm has the hall-mark of-excellence? and quality, and customers 'can confidently rely on the utmost satisfaction. We refer our readers ta'an announcement on page 4 of this issue.