THE WOMAN WHO DRINKS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 686, 10 December 1909, Page 11

THE WOMAN WHO DRINKS.

: .V ;: AN;.; INTERESTING DISCISSION. . . jDy Teieeropli;—Bpodal OorronDonflept.) ; '■■■:•' ■'•'.:-..'■'••:'■':■■: •■; ■■'• Auckland, December i. The 'Vbman , who 'drinks" .was somewhat frequently : under discussion throughout ■■■< the proceedings at yesterday's- quarterly sitting of tho Auckland: City Licensing Committee. , / Evidence! Was given by the police that in one or. two instances licensees of city hotels had been "in ; thp : . habit of serving women of disreputable 'character'.with liquors.:' '-i:' ' ;-. . '.'. .'■' ?\ Mr..: Earl, .who. .represented .the publicans '•id' question, ■ contended on : each occasion that 'the question cropped up that it was no, offence to serve a woman.with a drink in a hotel, so long as. she was not on the. premises longer than 'was.', necessary to consume .that drink. Be made the : point,'also, that •■ a ■ woman' was just as'muuiT-jntitleil to obtain a drink in a -hotelasa'man.Vproyided that she could pay for it.. He the difficulty hotelkeepers/laboured t'nder in discriminating be'!tween gdod women' and women of bad character. -Even o' woman of the unfortunnto clas3, ■Mγ. Etirl argued, was entitled to bo supplied with drink.. If a licensee were to "refuse a iwoman'. liquor on the pica that' he suspected ihorof belonging to this- class, he might find •niniself: involveu 1 in a'sender action. • Sergeant Eowelli who was giving ovidence in onecase, remarked, that there were some hotels in Auckland at which women were not allowed to drink, not oven allowed inside the door." Mr.. Earl agreod that that was so as regarded some of the first-class hotels. :.'■ ■ ■■ The,police'sergeant said it"was. the case at several of the. smaller .houses also..' ;- . - : - -.Asked by connsel if.he tH6ught etery. *Oman .ought to. be a* prohibitionist, the witness replied: that public opinion inV Auckland Wai against. women going :to hotels at all. ' There wns nothing: in the' Act to force.a licisnseo to Borve' drink'to'wbmenJ ; ... '. '-'.'.■ v .'■'■' ■ -Mr.'Earl: Another injustice to. the ees. .Where the. the Suffragettes?'. .' ' ;; :', ;';,: 'In thi end'the , committee made .a gbneral recommendation :to licensees in" the: city.that the',practice': of, serving liquor to women'■ in rooms'at-hotels should be:discontinued.. .;