CABARET RAID.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 215, 11 September 1931, Page 9

CABARET RAID.

POLICE PROSECUTIONS.

CONSTABLES' OBSERVATIONS.

, I fIniM*s* TraE " OFPATROHS

RESERVES DECISIOK.

■ -i w two sergeants and ure / *r» c-w ™r»t n p...,™ ; '? «Tt lie Pet" Pa " Cabarct ' WM " ' *TLsrt*e Hquor to be drunk in Restaurant when licensed premises ; I Squired to be closed. T.Nicholso*, ! of those at the ball, was charged b \f e F d 'K-Hunt, S.M., was on the B £^ive r g r^.KenyKO.; aP KNicholson's case a plea of guilty ff £ adranced. The manager pleaded said he attended the . P,£r Sn Cabaret in evening dress on tW -*?r' n f j u iy 18. He procured iSftsLmfof toast andV for We admit that the wk comes within the meaning of a the Act under which the C fel e tSe'added that he was fnirScted to attend the cabaret tor the iIH of taking observations concernfnf the onsuinptW of liquor During hi evening he made notes. At cubicle S ire were eight persons, and while fofcubide was empty an attendant otoed- twQ-jugs of water and a number Kisses on the table. While he was icV these on the table Loveridge conS "with him. Later witness saw Sor consumed. On other tables in eabicles witness saw glasses and bottles linger ale. In cubicle No. 1; where th&were two couples, glasses ana bottles of <nn«er ale were placed. While the attendant waited for payment one of tie occupants placed a large whisky hottle on. the table and poured some into taeh'ol four glasses, the liquor being consumed. At cubicle No. 4 there were eight persons, and six glasses and one buttle of whisky, which was consumed in water during the evening. Selective Sergeant Kelly: Was any attempt made to conceal the liquor ?—ln some cases there was, but in the majority of cases there was not. • Four People—One Bottle. The constable said there were two couples in cubicle No. 23. When they ■rot up to the empty bottle of whisky was left exposed on the table in MI view; of the dancers. - -Mr. Hnnti Dii the four; people con.-. some one large bottle?— They did. The bottle was shortly afterwards removed by an attendant.. -\- -i , % July 23, t&e night cf the Aero Club ball, witness was again present. He-•-baug&fc-soft drinks^_fefcjid>jaot pagf ■ f oj; «npper r which, was provided. He'gave totakpes of liquor "being, consumed. At table No. 9 sat two couples. There were fqur glassesj-a jtig of water and a. vase oiflowars on the:table. The,flowfirs were p&ced under the : table, andi were used to . ttfde a parcel;of 1 our bottles^of... what appeared to be cocMaiL ":/ . - ' kMr. Northcroft r 'You go to this cabaret quite often, and you would be recognised as pne-of- tiepatrons I— Yes. .. • * Have. jp\B any knowledge of Mr, Dunn, tie "doorkeeper, , refusing admission, to ' persons. , who- bring -parcels -o£ liquor I— *• Yesjithat k so. Oil one occasion you were called off .your beat;.to eject a man. who was refused admission because he had liquor? ■— ies^lwas. Ttoym : that on July 11 Mr. loveridge confiscated four bottles of; Efnor found on. one man?— Yes. .. -ijjjg« ocetipants of the cabaret don't flourish liquor when Loveridge ie about? —No, they- wait until lie and the attendants have gone. 0a these occasions yon. visited the cataret you. had a partner.. with, you, did you not!— Yes. When did you make your observationsi!—While I passed bj; cubicles and wlen I was dancing. ;Ga the night of the Aero Club's ball 53., you observe any attendant seeing l%or?—No. s Do you know that Mr. Loveridge peremptorily dismissed one attendant for opening a bottle of whisky for a patron? —Jfo. r Patrons are fairly skilful in keeping iquor out of sight of the management? —Yea, but not out of sight of the dancers. ; Can you swear positively that what you say were jugs of water were not jup of iced water, or jugs containing a cordial?— Kb. - : -..<°-

"Helmeted Heroes." ■ .Constable Pretious, wno also attended tie cabaret on the nights of July IS and 23, gave evidence of seeing liquor consumed. On July 18 he saw one party ot'sa or eight, persons in cubicle No. ;«-■ The -whole party was noisy. The women, had been drinking and the party was noticeably under the influence of Wor, particularly the women. One FI walked from the cubicle to the dance ,T°L and lad to be supported by her Partaer. The attendants passed by times and could have seen what Witness saw. We will explain later wrat the woman and her partner who *ere conspicuously drunk. You noticed, f suppose, that, the woman left shortly Wyou 6aw - her?— Yes, she left early. : *i. ■-j k place whea the cabaret W? w r^ de4 _ 3 then told by Constable awvi" e said two sergeants and five lLpjn €ntered tie ca oaret about flSg2 ortllCroft: Tie ielmeted heroes 1 iaSS-T 3i ? he S£w who, W+« l~ 7 e notie ed witness, Jhurrkd ; fion £ wbicle. Witness saw Nichol,£l WMzfng some bottles under a *h4tv C w;r Tllere were two por? Zir I' a Partly full bottla oi w^!? l{L a ' bottle of s^ — I vfV^W 1 nice mixture! : - Said adto; hS! tW ° bottles m nofc belon S ' ;^SfS^ e ' vho ™* * 'charge l formed v t* tbe cabar et, said he,in-, '*w <SiS T^ dge o£ the nature - of said the eabaretf on the par- ;^ 6 Aero Loveridge it he did tLe catering, and that t»S! * * chfficul t matter to watch 1 people 's™?f s°"* into the cabaret. He had liquor away from per»na gwjtler-aighte.-

Mr. Northcroft: Tliere were 500 people present, and there are 45 cubicles as well as tables. Tliere were eeven of you present and the whole eearch only ievealed two empty bottles and two partly | fall bottles of liquor?— Yes. Criticism of Police. Opening for the defence, Mr. Northcroft said the case meant a good deal to Mr. Loveridge, who always conducted the cabaret in. a fitting manner. Tha words of the charge specifically mentioned '"permits" or "allows" liquor to be consumed in a restaurant. Counsel said the regulations were framed not against dance halls, but they came -into force as the result of six o'clock dosing and were meant, quite properly at the time, to prevent liquor to be taken from-j hotels into restaurants. "Permitting or allowing is an incidental provision aud I make this criticism with the full responsibility, that the police on the occasions when they previously did see people taking.'alcohol, should have taken action against them, instead of holding back to "catch the unfortunate manager on the night when many respectable citizens were present,' , said Mr. Northeroft. "It was not desirable in the intereets of those who'were present." Counsel said the fact that the cabaret was crowded and that the search of 4-3 cubicles and many tables revealed only two empty bottles and two bottles with liquor in "them, spoke volumes for the good conduct of the others present. Notices prohibiting the taking of liquor into the cabaret were displayed. at the entrance and also in -the cloakrooms, while Loveridge himself made frequent rounds of inspection ; and directed his staff that no liquor was to be brought In or consumed. The doorkeeper wae kept expressely to watch for liquor. It was true liquor passed into the cabaret, but the doorkeeper did not have the power to search patrons. On occasions he had called the police to eject people ■who brought liquor. Mr. Loveridge always showed a settled determination to stop those who broke the law. "But we'all know the determination of the public to break a law, and that in doing so a groat deal of ingenuity was resorted to," said counsel. "It is grotesque to suggest that Loveridg? or anyone else were parties to a settled plan of placing plain water on tabies for the purpose of mixing with whisky"' " People Persist." Regarding the woman who was drunk at a cubicle, Mr. Northcrof t said Mr. Loveridge spoke to her husband, who explained that the party had come from a wedding to the cabaret and that she had taken too much liquor before she arrived. Mr. Loveridge insisted that the husband should take her away. This was done. "A good many people from overseas who come here on through steamers, not familiar with our backhanded way of preserving decency, take liquor to the cabaret and much unpleasantness has been caused when objection is taken," added Mr. Northcroft. "Active steps are taken against people bringing liquor, but people will persist in breaking the law. It is unfortunate that those who were seen by the constables to consume liquor were not prosecuted. If people were prosecuted, then. the public would know that the management and police were alert to prevent it and they would also know that to take liquor to the cabaret would mean- an appearance at the Police Court." ' •' - •jKo'rman ,W. Loveridge said that the t policy was to harve the cabaret conducted so as to inspire the parents of young people attending tliere with the utmost: conndehce. He explained the manner in which the place was run, "and enumerated occasions on which liquor had been '• confiscated from patrons. Cross-examined by Detective Sergeant Kelly, Loveridge said he made his rounds of inspection every 10 minutes or so on the night of the Aero Club ball. -With, four attendants and a doorkeeper, he thought these sufficient to- control 500 people. He knew complaints had been , made as far back as January last about people throwing the dregs of their glasses, out into the street. AJter hearing the evidence of the door keeper, the magistrate reserved his decision, remarking that he would inspect tlie cabaret.