The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-06-07
SHOULD RESTAURANTS
HAVE LIQUOR BARS I?

Editor Advertiser: The old liquor
law contained provision that in res
taurants liquor should be sold only
with meals at the public table. This
provision was evaded by the sand
wich" dodge and an effort was made
to cure the defect by clearly defining
in the present law what a restaurant
is. give this definition later.
In this legislature Senate Bill IL, got
up by the liquor dealers said ION Sun
days said sales of liquor I" at res
taurants shall be made with meals
only
Senate Bill Al, the republican party
measure, said ITO sell for con-
sumption on the premises at bona fide
meals in a cafe or restaurant" When
these two bills were combined in the
compromise, Senate Bill No. 81, the
meals feature was unaccountably drop
ped out but as the law was finally
passed it contained the following:
1.-The board shall be satisfied hat
the restaurant shall be a bona fide
restaurant at which meals are in good
faith and in fact provided and
that the meals are such as require the
service of a cook and that there is ac-
tual cooking upon the premises in con-
nection with meals served; no free
lunch scheme, however devised, snail
be carried on at any such restaurant.
For the purpose of more complete
determination, restaurant shall mean
place where meals are cooked, pro-
vided and served as the principal t1si-
ness thereof
Why all this care about meals If the
restaurant has a bar and all may buy
drinks without ordering a meal? To
any reasonable mind this provision in
dictates that the lawmakers intended
that no liquor should be sold at restau-
rants except with meals, and cooked
meals at that
The only evidence to the contrary
is in one of the conditions to which
licenses are subject, and is to the eff
feet that mo minor or female shall be
permitted to be or remain in or about
any saloon premises . or in or about
any part of any hotel or restaurant
premises where liquors are sold and
dispensed over a bar" The word res
taurant may have been inadvertently
inserted or it may have been slipped
in as a trick by some one favoring bars
in restaurants.
The fee for saloon in Honolulu Is
$3.50, for a restaurant $500. Is a restau-
rant to have all the privileges OF
saloon and pay $3.50 less per annum?
With a bar they not only have the
same privileges as a saloon but they
| have the additional privilege of carry
| ing on the restaurant business and al
so the privilege, by paying an addi-
| tional fee, of keeping open all night
and Sundays. The saloon cannot do
| this under any circumstances.
Why grant all these privileges when
| the law does not specifically demand
| it and when it was the evident intent
of the lawmakers to have liquor fur
nished with meals only? If licerse Is
given, of course a customer, having
ordered his meal, may be furnished
with any quantity of liquor. That part
| of the law cannot be avoided. The IL
| cense commissioners may, however, re-
| fuse to grant any particular license,
and may give a restaurant license con-
ditioned that liquor shall be sold only
with meals, as long as they put in all
the conditions prescribed by the law.
1t is admitted that the cafe feature
of the liquor traffic is the most I'M
desirable. There all night orgies are
held at these resorts and Sunday made
a day of revelry instead of rest. There
women are admitted and young girls
decoyed to their destruction. If any
licenses are refused surely these should
be. And if licenses are given at all
| for cafes they should be limited and
no bar allowed.
| Now is the time to protest. Inc
commissioners are anxious to have al
protests presented to them as soon as
possible so that they can consider them
quietly before the great rush when the
| time of publication expires. Any voter
of the precinct or any real estate hold
er within 1000 feet, or any one in behalf
of a school or church within 15O feet
may protest The commissioners VIII
be glad to hear the opinion OF others
not mentioned in the statute. Let eV-
cry one who knows of any reason why
any particular license should not DC
granted write to the board at once
Act promptly.
| II DIG Y.