DICE IN HOTEL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 209, 3 September 1932, Page 16

DICE IN HOTEL.

CONVICTION FOR GAMBLING. LICENSEE FINED £1O COMMENT BY MAGISTRATE. "Tli3 man is not fit to hare a license," said the magistrate, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday, ■when fining Charles E. Adams, the licensee of the Empire Hotel, £10 for allowing gambling on licensed premises. There were other charges, on which he was convicted and discharged. These were for opening premises for the sale of liquor after hours, the eale of liquor after hours, and permitting a lottery on the premises. Accused pleaded not guilty on all charges. Hie license was endorsed. On the night of June 27, John Wilfred Anderson said he wae admitted to the Empire Hotel shortly after 10 p.m. He had no trouble in getting in, and once there he went to the private bar, where other men were drinking. A game of dice was in progress. Bets started at 1/ a throw, and rose to 5/ on each throw. The largest bet he had was three throws at £1 each. He had £7 when he went into the place, and when he came out, after paying for three bottles of stout and squaring up for the betting, he had exactly £1 left. '•I caught the licensee holding a dice in his fingere," continued witness. "I remonstrated, and was told to get out quick." Witness said he went. He complained to the police, and accompanied them back to the hotel. He made a statement in front of accused, who denied the statement. Cross-examined, witness said that he had been to the hotel on two previous occasions, and had played the game with the dice several timee before; He had lost perhaps 2/ or 3/ each time. The licensee, he added, had denied that he had been in the hotel on the occasion in respect of which the complaint was made. Sergeant Clist said he went with Anderson to the place at 11.55 p.m. The licensee told him that Anderson had not been in the hotel at night, that he did not know Anderson. Witness said that he had looked under the bar counter, and had seen a dice and a container. That was when ho was taking down the statement of Anderson. He said to Adams that a dice was not a very nice thing to find in a hotel. Adams did not reply. A number of rooms were shown to be booked on the register, but witness said that in at least one room he could find do trace of the room having been used by the alleged occupants, or of any ■luggage, either. The register showed that the name of "Anderson" had been entered on two previous occasions. "This man (Anderson) wae not in my house that night, and there was no diceplaying," declared defendant, Charles E. Adams, licensee. The others in the hotel, he said, were all boarders. The dice had been in the hotel when he took it over, and had not been used for gambling. Anderson, he eaid, had never been in the hotel after hours before. Corroborative evidence to that effect was given by several other witnesses. "I believe Anderson," said Mr. Hunt briefly, in imposing the fine. Counsel for accused made a plea about the endorsing of the license, but the magistrate was adamant. 'It is getting like the old days," the magistrate added,