SERIOUS CASE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 117, 27 February 1937, Page 3

SERIOUS CASE

LIQUOR SUPPLIED TO GIRLS. HOTEL LICENSEE FINED. (Per Pres 3 Association.) i NELSON, February 26. “I regard this case as probably the J worst I have had before me since I have been in Nelson, that is, in the last 14 l or 15 years. I cannot see one redeem--5 ing feature about it. It is a very seri- ? ous state of affairs.” i This comment was made by Mr T. E. Maunsell, S.M., when hearing charges - against Daniel Ladislas Mahar, licensee : of the Belgrove Hotel, of selling li- ’ quor after hours and supplying‘liquor . to girls under the age of 21. Mahar > was charged with exposing liquor for ) sale after hours on December 20, and } on four counts with supplying liquor to ’ girls under the age of 21. ' Senior-Sergeant C Petersen said : that some of the facts were known to 1 the magistrate, as they had come to , light during an inquest arising from a fatal accident at Wai-iti. Liquor had 5 been sold in the evening to patrons go--1 ing to a dance, and after midnight ' there were at least 20 people at the } hotel who were being supplied with | liquor. These included four young ' women, the youngest of whom was 14j, the others being 15j, 17-j and 20. Offence Regarded Seriously. ; “The supply of liquor to young girls i at any time is looked on very seriousi ly,” remarked the Senior-Sergeant, ; “but more seriously when it is done indiscriminately by licensees at hotels.” i Mr Brodie, for the accused, said lie , thought there was little that could be ! said for any publican, knowing that lie was supplying liquor to young girls, ■ but something might be said for Maliar. The girls were all in evening frocks and did not- look like young girls. Mahar had no previous convictions against him. Any drinking in the evening had no relation to the death that occurred in the accident. “What I regard as serious,” said the i Magistrate, “is supplying liquor to those attending dances at a late hour of the night, and it is more particularly serious when it is supplied to women. It is a highly obnoxious practice, which is gradually growing up. I am going to stop it if I possibly can. Any licensee who is detected supplying liquor to girls can expect to he very seriously dealt with. lam seriously considering whether I should not endorse the licensee’s license. Difficulty of Supervision. "It is serious also in this respect,” lie continued. “The hotel is a difficult one to supervise. I hope in the future that when dances are held in that locality the police will sec if there is 1 any drinking going on and then inform me.” Mahar was a first offender, and it had been laid down that there should be no endorsement for first offenders, but he was going to show no consideration in the matter of lines, said, the Magistrate. He. imposed lines of £5 16s op. each of the charges relating to supplying liquor to girls, £2 for exposing liquor, and £3 for selling liquor after hours. Costs were ordered on each charge. Mr Brodie asked that leniency be extended in this case. The Magistrate: I am sorry, but if this is a case where I can extend leniency I can’t conceive of a ease where the penalty should be heavy. He has been flagrantly ignoring the law. _ i “I have seen some comments in the ’ press,” said Mr Maunsell, “by people interested in social matters and it has ' been disturbing the minds of many ! parents in New Zealand.”