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STATE HOTEL PROPERTY.
INQUIRY BY LICENCES REDUCTION
BOARD.
"DIRTY AND DILAPIDATED."
Peculiar features ivcre disclosed in a
ca«e which came before tlie Licenced lie-
duction Board nt tlie deprivation sittings
yesterday. Sub-Inspector M'ManaTnny
appeared for the police, and Mr. Meagher,
instructed by Mr. Mornane, for tlie licen-
see, Mary Dowling.
Mr. Richards, from tlie Crown Solicitor
office, appeared for the owner of the
hotel.
Mr. Andrews . chairman of tho hoard):
Who is your client?
Mr. Richards: Tho -King. - (Laughter.)
Tho property is leased to tbe Castleinaine
Brewery. .The site was originally granted
to Robert J. Milliard, who ran a ferry
across the river in 1871. The property in
time reverted to the Crown, and was leased
by tlie Crown to tlie" Castlcmaine Brewery
in 1003 for 21. years, nt a rent of £1J0
per annum. Tlie right to sub-let w,is
granted in the lease. The fate of the
hotel was to he left entirely in the hands
erf the board.
' The Chairman: We Trill not be guilty
ctf lese-majcste if we deal with the hotel.
(Laughter.)
'.Mr. Richards: I think _ not, after the
instructions I have received from the
Minister of Lands.
Mr. Meagher: That docs not prevent me
froun taking exception to tie board dealing
witth tlie matter. ..
fir. Siviudells, wharf manager for the
Western District Steamship Co., said ho
had knoivn the hotel for thirty years, ami
had had some of the saddest experiences
of his life through it.
Tho Chairman: Are you a teetotaller?
People Tvho drink might have thought the
incidents humorous.
Will cess said that men employed m load
ing aihd discharging steamers were eon-
tinuallT leaving their work to get a drink
at the' hotel. The result ivas that work
ivas deJaycd, and men ,got drunk. Dis
charges for drunkenness were frequent.
Then other men stopped work because
their mattes ivcre discharged. If men found
that theC could not slip across the road
to tbe hotel, they got their mates to bring
drink to ; them. This sort of tiling had
been gointe on for years. It was not de
sirable tcr have a public house so close
to wharfs.. The Qucen's-bndge Hotel ivas
only a short distance away, but it was
just a littAi too far for men to slip away
from work! without greater risk of being
discovered than ivas the case ivith regard
to the ' Yarr.i-bank Hotel.
Mr. Meaghpr: Have you ever complained
to. the Licencing Court about the conduct
of this hotel , . ..
Witness:' N'o>; but I have spoken to the
l'did not asl c you that. Is there any dif
ference between the conduct ot this hotel
under the present licensee and that under
previous licensees! ? — No. . .
JLivg you ever been in the hotel ?— Once
or twice. 1 wemt there on one occasion
to inquire about a watchman whom I had
been compelled 'to discbarge for drunken
ness. ; .
' When vou find these men slipping across
to tlie hotel, do jwu dismiss them or take
time off?— We dismiss them if tvc catch
them. ! ...
How many have you dismissed since the
beginning of this j var ?— Probably ten or
a dozen.
James Harrison, wharf manager for J. B.
Ellerker, said his employer's wharfs ivcre
directly opposite the hotel, the existence
of which was a distiisct hindrance to the
ivork of loading and discharging steamers.
About tw'o and a half j Tears ago he thought
of taking liis meals at' the restaurant at
tached to the hotel, but'", after spending a
minute or two in tlie rewm he was glad to
pay the .price of the luntch without having
anything to eat.
" Mr. Meagher: Are you 'a teetotaller ?
Witness: Absolutely.
Have you seen men goring to the hotel
for drink ?— I have, and 1". have seen them
coming hack. I saiv one mbn ivith a bottle
containing beer.
AVhat did you do with the beer?— I
threw it into the river, ai&d took twenty
minutes' time off the man. On one occa
sion I located the engineer' of a steamer
and a man whom I had set"- to watch the
crew in the hotel drinking i6"hisky.
Mr. Cuming (a member of the hoard):
Was it Scotch or Irish ?
Witness: I could not say; but it must
have been strong, because they were most ; /.>'
cantankerous when they got out. (Laugh- v;";
ter.) ' ;i;
Mr. Meagher: Have you ever done any
platform work ? r '
Witness: Yes, a good deal. I am tho
champion elocutionist of Australia. 1 won
the title at the last Ballarat competitions.
Do you ever preach to the men ?— On
every occasion I can. I gave one man iv
severe talking "to recently, but it seems to
have had no effect.
You think he is a lost soul ? — (Sadly) I
am afraid so.
Evidence was given hy .Tames Mollis, in
spector to the Board of Health; Constable
J. N. Bonce and others, about the state of
the building and tbe condition in which '
the hotel ivas found on several visits. The
building itself was described ns being
"dirty and dilapidated," and the rooms as
badly kept.
Mr. Meagher: Would you be surprised to
learn that the floor of tho bar is scrubbed
onee a day ?
Witness: It would be a shock to me -to
learn it after what 1 saw. (Laughter.)
Senior Constable A. Anderson, in answer
to Mr. Meagher, said that an improve
ment in the conduct of the hotel had been
noticeable since the present licensee went
into possession.
For the licensee, Alfred Dunbar, con
sulting engineer, said his office adjoined
the hotel. He had never seen a uctter con
ducted hotel.
Edward Jones, T. Pierce, B. Fritoh and
otliors swore that the hotel was a great
convenience for men working on the
wharfs: One of the witnesses admitted that
a man on his wav to the Queen's-bridge
Hotel was much more likely to be
"caught by tlie boss" than he was going
to tlie Yarra-bank Hotel.
John II. Pcnry, plumber, gave details of
repairs which he had carried out at the
hotel this year at a cost of £60. He de
clared that the condition of the kitchen
now was a a good as could be found any
where.
DECISIONS RESER , ED.
Wayside Inn, City-road. Mr. Meagher
(instructed by Messrs. M'Incrncy and
Wingrove) for the oivncrs, John and Julia
Palmer; and Mr. Lovers (instructed by
Messrs. Lynch and M'Donald) for tho
licensee. Mrs. E. M'Dougall.
The licensing inspector for the Bourke
district reported that he had ascertained
that there were convictions against tiie
Sabloniere Hotel, Queen-street, and the
West End Hotel,' Spencer-street, which in
his opinion brought them into B class. He
also thought it desirable to add to the D
list the Ilarp of Erin Hotel, Queen-street,
and the Telegraph Hotel, Little Bourkc-
strcet.
The Chairman intimated that the list
would be amended accordingly.
The Chairman congratulated Sub-In.ir>ce-
tor M'Manamriy on the manner in which
lie had conducted the cases which had
come before the board during the present
sittings. The fact that no serious challenge
liad been made against the selection of
hotels for inquiry, which was perhaps the
hardest part of the work, reflected great
credit on tho sub-inspector. The, thanks of
the board, were due also to tho witnesses
brought forward by the sub-inspector.
They had given their evidence in a fair,
able and painstaking manner.
The decision of the court in regard to
the closing of hotels in the Emerald Hill
district, ivill be announced early in May.
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