HERE AND THERE.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, 12 June 1913, Page 25

HERE AND THERE.

Renewals of all existing licenses in the Parnell district were granted by the Parnell Licensing Committee.

Mr Morgan O’Brien, the popular host of the Waimate Hotel, South, is spending a holiday in the northern part of the Dominion. Under his management the Waimate has improved wonderfully, and the hotel made up-to-date in every particular. We trust Mr O’Brien will benefit in every way by his well-earned holiday.

At the annual meeting of the Thames Licensing Committee (Mr. Burgess, S.M., presiding), the whole of the applications for renewals and new licenses for the various hotels throughout the district were granted, with the exception of those of W. Dennerley, for the Pacific Hotel, Thames, and R. G. Munroe, for the Kuaotunu Hotel, were adjourned to the quarterly meeting for further consideration as to certain improvements tand' repairs, which were recommended by the police, and which the owners would not guarantee to have carried out. The applications which were granted were in a number of cases conditional o i improvements to the premises, as recommended by the police, being carried out, which the owners undertook to do.

The annual meeting of the Waitemata Licensing Committee was held in the Devonport Council Chambers last week, Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M., presiding. The members present were : Messrs R. Duder, J. Edson, R. Reynolds, and A. Alison. The police report stated that the hotels of the district had been conducted in an exemplary manner during the past year. The only matter of comment was in regard to the drainage of the Wade Hotel, which the district health officer considered should be improved. The following licenses were renewed: —Masonic Hotel, Devonport, Mr H. G. Jones; Wade Hotel, Mr M. Kelly. The following transfers were agreed to: —Waiwera Hotel, Mr C. B. Cave to Mr A. E. Bennett; Esplanade Hotel, Devonport, Mr H. S. Elliott to Mr B. Goldwater; Mon Desir Hotel, Takapuna, Mr D. Thomson to Mr J. A. Raynes; Lucas Creek Hotel, Mr A. Stevenson to Mr D. L. Gibson; Northcote Hotel, Mr R. H. A; Cushman to Mr M. Walsh.

At the annual meeting of the Raglan Licensing Committee, J. Darrow was granted a license, and the ; following renewals of licenses were granted:—S. J. Rawlinson, Harbour View Hotel, Raglan; G. T. Harris, Royal Hotel, Raglan; L. B. Harris, Huntley Hotel; S. Keogh, Taupiri Hotel; and M. Foley, Tuakau. Chas. Suff’s application for an accommodation license at Whatawhata was granted. Renewed application for the Delta Hotel, by M. Ryan, and for the Waipa Hotel by S. Draffin, were considered, but were eventually adjourned to the next meeting, because of the fact that the committee’s request regarding drainage had not been complied with. The application for a renewal of his license of the Mercer Hotel was granted to Mr. C. Prickett, providing he made improvements in the sanitary and drainage system of the house.

At the annual meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Licensing Committee last week, the police report on the hotels in the district was favourable. All licenses were renewed.

The Wanganui “Chronicle” has been mulcted in a case in which Alfred Stubbs, publican, claimed £5Ol damages for alleged libel contained in the words “A publican who did to death an old Maori who used to dress in ’women’s clothes.” It transpired that the person referred to was Stubbs, who kept a hotel 27 years ago. It appears that a Maori was drinking in Stubbs’s hotel at the time the trouble occurred and Stubbs threw him out. A few days later the Maori .died arid Stubbs was eventually charged with manslaughter. / he) (magistrate, dismissed the case on the ground of conflict of evidence as to the force used. The “Chronicle” offered to apologise for the mistake and pay £5O compensation, but the case went before a jury, which awarded £lOO damages.

At the annual meeting of the Waipawa Licensing Committee the chairman, Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., referring to a recent prosecution over supplying a Maori woman with liquor, warned the licensee, of the serious consequences following detection. Inspector O’Donovan pointed out that the publican was placed in an unenviable position in the matter. While he had the power to prevent prohibited persons from entering licensed premises, the publican had no authority to act in a similar manner as regards Maori women.

The following transfers were granted at the quarterly meeting of the Balmerston Licensing Committee: Post Office lYotel, M. Dumbleton to S. J. Whiteford; Clarendon Hotel, William M. Halley to Henry Baker; Masonic Hotel, J. A. Pawson to T. Green; Occidental Hotel, John T. Midwood to Thos Jas. Callaghan; Grand Hotel, G. E. Trevor to E. Tattersail. $ * ... * *

Good progress is being mad e with the erection of the new bottling store for the North Island Brewery Company, at Mangatainoka, says the Pahiatua “Herald.” Further improvements are also to be effected to the cellar and a twoistor’eyed structure s;oft.; in length and 32ft. wide, is to be added to the main building. The lower portion will be underground, immediately adjoining th e present cellar. The upper room will be used for storage purposes. The structure will be erected in brick. In order to make the bottle-washing room up-to-date, a machine, capable of washing about 1000 bottles an hour, has been ordered from America, and will be

landed in Mangatainoka in October next. The improvements to be effected during the present season will cost approximately £2OOO, or practically the same as the new machinery installed last year. Despite the many improvements that had been effected the plant was not sufficient to cope with tie Christmas trade last year. The management accordingly decided to make further alterations and additions to the premises, which are now being carried out.

At the usual meeting of the Christchurch Licensing Committee on Wednesday, the chairman, Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M., on behalf of the committee, said that Dr. Finch, District Health Officer, had drawn the attention of the committee to the resolution of the conference on tuberculosis held in Wellington recently, in which it was urged that hotels should b e inspected, and to take measures to assist in fighting tuberculosis. The Health Officei’ had offered to give assistance to the committee or 'to li-

censees. The committee would not make any orders where it could not enforce them, but he advised licensees to take advantage of the Health Officer’s offer. The Health Inspector had inspected the hotels as to their cleanliness, and his report was that generally th e condition of the hotels was good. The health officers would assist licensees in regard to the disinfection of rooms and spittoons. The inspector had referred to the undesirability of regular use being made of bedrooms and did not have free access to air. He understood that ther e were a few bedrooms that came in that category, and that they were used only under pressure. The committee would not make any orders as to those bedrooms. As long as the hotels were provided with suffiicient accommodation the committee could not interfere. The inspector had also urged that there should be more effective glass-washing in some cases.

A very curious explanation was recently given at the Leicester (Eng), Police Court in a drunk case. “I am guilty of lying down,” said Ernest Garfield Moor e (37), a shoe hand, when charged with being drunk and incapable. “Drunk?” queried the Magistrates’ Clerk. “No, I had been assaulted,” was th e reply. Despite the d'act that two constables said he was drunk, prisoner begged to differ. He maintained that h e was only “punch drunk,” and explained the phrase by adding that “two chaps who thought they were gentlemen, but wer e not, stopped him, and punched him, and knocked him down, and if that were not true he would kiss forty Bibles.” The Bench were, however, convinced that the “punch” was of an intoxicating rather than a physical nature, and fined him 5s or 5 days.