The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-09-10
LIQUOR
PROBLEMS
LICENSE COMMISSIONERS CALL
UPON WHOLESALERS TO DIS
CUSS SITUATION WITH THEM

A public hearing on an application
/ for a hotel license was given by the
Board of License Commissioners yes
/ terday afternoon at 4 o'clock, the APP
! plicant being Ishimatsu, Japanese
who wanted to open a two-story frame
/ structure on Kukui street just east OF
| Nuuanu Avenue. The Board turned
down the application. Ishimatsu was
some time ago refused an application
for a retail liquor license Two other
applications for saloon licenses were
! withdrawn
The Board spent a good deal Of the
time of the session in discussing the
administration of the liquor business
in Honolulu. The body feels that it
is handicapped by the construction of
the liquor law and doesn't see just
how to go about some things which it
doesn't like Scotty's place came in
for good part of the talk, number
of the members of the Board having
visited the restaurant on Sunday and
observed things for themselves.
The Commission doesn't like to see
Scotty doing such a large Sunday liz
quor business, especially since the
cruiser squadron is in port. But what
can they do about it? They didn't
make the law, or 1t would be very diff
ferent. Scotty, for instance holds
restaurant license for which he pays
$500 per year. Also he has a restau-
rant liquor license which allows him
/ to retail liquors at any old time-day
or night or on Sundays Now the Uni
on Grill and Scotty's are about the on
/ ly places except in the regular hotels
. where liquor can be bought legally on
Sunday, and consequently when the
town is full of thirsty sailors and NAV
ines these places do a land Office bust
ness on Sunday, and their ordinary
restaurant business is proportionately
small.
The regularly licensed saloon, with
no other privileges that selling liquors
and cigars over a bar, pays $3.50 per
year license, the same as do the res.
taurants, but they must shut up al
midnight and have no Sunday privI-
leges. Hence the straight saloon men
are sore because the restaurants have
the best of it, and don't pay any more
for the privilege But the law seems
plain-and what can they do about it?
Another thing the sleuths Of the
Booze Commission discovered on Sun
| do 40 fbo iv,cr had
been making use of hacks to carry beer
to the dealers whose stock OF "suds
had run low owing to the unprecedent-
e ed rush of business
I Another thing that the Liquor Lii
cense Commission is working on is
some plan to round up the numerous
= blind pigs" which flourish in Pake
. shops, and in all kinds of likely and
e unlikely places, and have utterly frus-
I trated efforts to bring them to justice.
, AS a result of this discussion it was
. decided to issue invitations to the
= wholesale dealers in booze to meet the
. Board next Friday afternoon in the
e Throne Room of the Capitol where
1 their sense of public duty will be APP
g pealed to, and they will be Desought
y to help to stop the blind pig bust
g ness. Because these places have tC
5 get their supply from some place 1t is
D reasonable to infer that the wholesal-
= ers are in position to hazard pretty
shrewd guess as to who is running 9
n good many of such places. Whether
Il.
/ duty to the public stronger than theil
+ personal interests, remains to be seen