MENACE IN CITY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 54, 5 March 1943, Page 4

MENACE IN CITY

COUNCIL DISCUSSION

ILLEGAL LIQUOR SALES

"If the taxi-drivers would cooperate with us we could clean up the sly-grog evil in a week. A great proportion of them, however, will not co-operate with us and have no intention of co-operating with us. Whatever we bring in, they will get round it. They are getting round the clocking in." This statement was made at the meeting of the City Council last night by Mr. H. J. Butcher, chairman of the public safety committee, when the question of the growing evil of the sly-grog trade was under discussion.

The committee considered that the sly-grog trade was causing complications in .the taxi business, and suggested amendment of the licensing regulations as follows: —That the keeping of liquor for sale on other than licensed premises should constitute an offence; that the closing of premises in respect of which a conviction had been obtained for the sale of liquor or keeping it for sale be legalised, with a penalty of £50 a day in default; and that the sale of wine, excepting by licensed persons at authorised places, be prohibited.

The Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, said it was proposed to send the recommendations to the Government as suggestions of how far the council thought legislation should be carried to meet the evil.

The council went into committee to hear a statement from the Mayor, and the discussion continued for some time in camera till several members said the public should know the serious view the council took of the present .position. Thirty Sly-Grog Shops

When open discussion resumed, Mr. Butcher said that there were 30 known sly-grog shops and 20 disorderly houses in Auckland. Visits were being paid at the rate of 150 per night. It had been estimated that taxis were calling at some houses at the rate of one every three minutes, but he considered he could "knock that into a cocked hat," and he added that he knew calls were made at one place at the rate of 40 per hour. He went on to stress the position of the police in getting convictions against sly-grog traders and stated that when one person was convicted the evil did not cease, for someone else promptly took over the business and the police had to go through the same process again to gain another conviction.

The purpose of suggesting the closing of houses was to throw the onus on the owner of a property as in the case of a disorderly house, to see that a tenant did not use premises for sly-grog trading.

The Mayor said that, in fairness to the taxi interests in the city, he could say that representations had been made regarding the class of work drivers were being called upon to perform at the present time.

The recommendations of the committee were approved, the Government to be approached to amend the regulations along che lines ; suggested.