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refreshment house license must be obtained from the excise office of the district, costing £1. 1s., or 10s. 6d. if the rent of the house be under £30. The license expires annually on the 1st of April, and if taken out for the first time after the 6th of July, it will be granted for three-fourths of the sum otherwise payable. Arrangements should be made to render the long hours of service as little onerous as possible to the persons employed. In small towns and villages, where the work of the house is done mainly by the manager and his wife, the trade may be of such a nature as to admit of several hours' rest during the day; but in large houses, which remain open till midnight, two sets of assistants will usually be necessary, working alternately morning and evening, with a weekly change. In some cases an economical arrangement may be made by engaging assistants for the evening only.
PROVISIONS AND PRICES.
All the provisions sold in a Coffee Publichouse should be of the best quality; the supply should be liberal; the prices charged should be low; and, at the same time, the business should be conducted on self-supporting principles—in other words, it should be made to pay.
But, it may be asked, is all this possible? Can the best articles be sold at low prices, and sufficient profit be realised to admit of a fair return upon the outlay, or even to cover expenses?
It is for those who have the control of Coffee Publichouses to furnish a practical answer to this question. Such an answer, and one of a generally satisfactory kind, has already been furnished in the case of some houses in London, Liverpool, Dundee, and elsewhere, and it cannot reasonably be questioned that wherever sound principles of management are adopted success will be attained in greater or less degree. A Coffee Publichouse in a small town or village will probably be unable to command the trade which may be readily secured by a house situated in one of the great centres of
