Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser - 12 January 1921

SOMERSET LICENSING COMMITTEE

THREE HOUSES CLOSING, THREE OTHERS REFERRED TO INLAND REVENUE

A meeting of the Somerset County Licensing Committee was held at the Shirehall, Taunton, on Thursday, Mr. C. L. Fry Edwards presiding.

The Chairman, before the business commenced, read the following recommendations which had been passed by the Compensation Authority:- "We recommend that the standard profit per barrel of beer in respect of licenses, the renewal of which was refused at the principal meeting in 1920, be fixed at 11s 9d for the years 1913 and 1914, and 15s for the year 1919, and that the barrelage be taken on an average of that sold during those years. We also recommend that in the event of the renewal of any licenses being refused at the principal meeting in the year 1921, the Somersetshire Brewers Association be invited meet the Finance Sub-Committee to discuss the basis of profit and the years to be taken into account at some date between the principal meeting and the first supplemental meeting."

Mr. Wansbrough, of Bristol (who was appearing for the owners in one of the cases before the Committee), mentioned that in Bristol, where they had gone before the Inland Revenue Authorities, they had been awarded much larger sums than had been suggested by the Compensation Authority, and he added that in all the cases they had had £1 or more per barrel.

The Chairman: You won't get it here; I can tell you that. (Laughter.)

The business in the matter of six houses referred for compensation was to consider the amounts payable. The houses and the respective valuations submitted were as follows:-

- Bridge Inn, Northload Street, Glastonbury, £450 10s; 
- Sawyers' Arms, Viney-bridge, Crewkerne, £1,245 15s; 
- Live and Let Live, Paulton. £1,200 2s 6d: 
- Flying Dutchman, Paulton. £849;
- The Dove Inn, Paulton, £2,791 10s; 
- Black Cow Inn, Stanton Drew, £1,628 16s. 

Mr. Budd appeared for the owners and tenant of the Bridge Inn, Glastonbury, and accepted an offer by the Committee of £412 9s. Mr. C. F. Saunders appeared for the owners and licensee of the Sawyers' Arms, Crewkerne, and incidentally mentioned that the tenant had been there 16 years. The Committee had offered £1,219 15s 9d, and this amount Mr. Saunders accepted.

Three houses taken together were the Live and Let Live and Dove Inn, Paulton, and the Black Cow, Stanton Drew, Mr. W. A. Roberts, of Bristol, appearing on behalf of the owners and tenants. He mentioned that the tenant of the first house had been there forty years, the tenant of the Dove Inn 32 years, and the tenant of the Black Cow eighteen years. The amounts offered by the Committee as compensation were considerably less than the valuation figures, and Mr. Roberts expressed his inability to accept the same. The question will, therefore, be referred to the Inland Revenue Authorities.

Mr. H. R. Wansbrough, of Bristol, appeared on behalf of the owners and tenant of the Flying Dutchman. An offer of £638 10s 2d was made by the Chairman on behalf of the Committee, taking into account the old basis of compensation. Under the new mode of calculation the sum would have been £581 13s 6d. Mr. Wansbrough asked the Committee to make the total amount £650, and promised that if this was granted the brewers would award £150 to the tenant, an old man who would lose his only means of livelihood when the license was taken away. After consideration the Committee declined to vary their decision, intimating that there was nothing to prevent the tenant being compensated to the amount mentioned if the brewers wished to do so. Mr. Wansbrough said he very reluctantly accepted the offer.