SLY GROG OFFENCES

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 260, 1 August 1939, Page 11

SLY GROG OFFENCES

Storekeepers Fined In South Island By Telegraph—Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, July 31. Complaints to the police about sly grog-selling by storekeepers near public works on the South Island Main Trunk Line resulted in inquiries by detectives from Christchurch, and arising out of these inquiries numerous charges of sly grog-selling were heard in the Magistrates Court this morning. Four persons were concerned in the chargee, three being storekeepers and one the -wife of a storekeeper. Fines of £5O and' costs were imposed on the first three by Mr. E. C. Levvey, S.M., and the wife of the storekeeper was fined £lO. The defendants were Maude Stead, Domett, who faced 1 four charges of selling liquor without a licence, and was fined £5O and' costo on the first charge, and ordered' to pay costs on others; George William Bransfield, Conway, who was fined £5O on the first of three charges of selling liquor without a licence and costs on the others; Ada Dransfield, who was fined £lO on the first of two chargee; and Joseph Cannon, Parnassus, who was fined £5O on one of ten charges, five of which the magistrate withdrew, and ordered to pay costs on the other four. All entered 1 pleas of guilty. Chief Detective Dunlop, said that search warranto had"been issued, and in Stead’s etore on the Main North Road 29 bottles of ale were found. Several sales had been made. The liquor had been bought at 12/6 a dozen bottles and sold nt 18/-. At Dransfidd’s store fourteen dozen bottles were found. He had been selling liquor at 21/- a dozen. His wire had had a part in the selling, and both had admitted the offence. Twelve dozen bottles were found at Cannon's store, and he had also bought ale at 12/6 and sold it at 21/- a dozen. There was no suggestion of disorder a-t these stores, or that any disorder arose nt camps as the result of liquor being supplied,” said the chief detective. Counsel said that the main reason for the offence springing up was the distance that the public works men were from the nearest hotel “They obviously found it profitable to carry on this offence.” staid the magistrate, in imposing the fines.