MELODY CLUB RAIDED

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 50, 22 November 1941, Page 12

MELODY CLUB RAIDED

£5O Fine For Selling Liquor Without Licence DRINKING BY YOUNG GIRLS ALLEGED “There was a lot of 'drinking on the premises, including young girls of 20 years of age and so forth. The police have seen couples leaving the premises under the influence of liquor as late as 5 o’clock in' the morning,” said Subluspeetor D. J. Hewitt, in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, when Hubert Edward Howard was charged before Mr. Stout, S.M., with selling liquor without a licence. The charge related to the Melody Club, Inc., and its club business was 'described by the sub-inspector as “simply a blind for a sly-grog shop of one of the worst descriptions.” Howard, for whom Mr. J. A. Scott appeared, pleaded guilty. He was convicted and fined £5O, with costs, and was told by the magistrate that a repetition of the offence -would be punished by imprisonment. For some time the police had had the premises under observation, said the sub-inspector. A constable had visited the club and had purchased liquor from Howard. Later, a warrant had been executed by Senior-Sergeant Power and other police officers, and a large quantity of liquor seized. Howard, who had been in charge of the place at the time, had had the keys of the different lockers, with various names on them. Howard had stated that he assisted, or was assisted by, his brother in the management of the club, which contained amusement machines. They went fiftyfifty in the takings. Large Quantity of Liquor Seized. Liquor seized on the premises included 186 bottles of ale and one of whisky in the lockers, and 36 of ale and 11 of whisky in a cupboard under the stairs. The club was properly incorporated, said Mr. Scott, arid each of the members had a locker bearing the name of the owner. “There is a demand for this sort of thing,” said Mr. Scott. “If there were no demand it would not exist. These men have done nothing different from what other sly grog people have done.” . The liquor Howard sold, he added, was his own liquor, and- counsel asked that members of the club whose liquor had been seized should have the opportunity of proving their ownership, and redeeming it.