1954 Practical Bar Management by Eddie Clarke

FIFTEEN

Licensing Law and the Bar By W,Eric Jackson, ll.b., Barrister-at-Law

INTOXICATING liquor must not be sold or exposed for sale without the proper licences. Two licences are normally required. One is granted by the local licensing justices, and the other by the Excise authorities. The Justices' Licence must be obtained first,and the new licence when granted must be confirmed by another body of justices. The Excise Licence is usually granted to the holder of a Justices' Licence as a matter of course, but certain licence duties have to be paid for it. A Justices' Licence is not required for the sale of liquor in premises licensed as a theatre, in a passenger ship or aircraft, or a railway restaurant car, or in canteens for the armed forces and certain civilian workers. The necessary Excise Licences for these places must, however, be obtained. Conditions of Licences When a bar is set up in premises already licensed, care must be taken to see that the place where it is situated is within the terms of the Justices' Licence. Justices may impose conditions when granting licences; these conditions may relate to the area orrooms which may be used for the sale of intoxicants ; or they may relate to the manner in which drink is served. For example, the con ditions may forbid"perpendicular"or"vertical"drinking, that is, consumption while standing. In such a case liquor can only be sold at tables served by a waiter. The breaking of any condition in a licence may involve the forfeiture of the licence. If the conditions of an existing licence prevent the setting up of a bar, application must be made to the justices for variation of the conditions. And if any structural alterations are made in licensed premises so as to give increased facilities for drinking, the per mission of the justices must be previously obtained. 148