LICENSING CASES

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 37, 14 February 1919, Page 8

LICENSING CASES

In the Magistrate's Court to-day, before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., several cases under the Licensing Act Were^ heard.

Ann Sullivan, licensee of the Pier Hotel, was charged With selling liquor after hours; and William Simms, barman at the hotel, was charged with supplying the liquor. It appeared from the evidence that early one morningl a man was found drunk in the Btreet withr two bottles of whisky and two decanters, in his possession. He said he had, bought the liquor from Simms. The. latter denied this, and it was stated for the defence that one of the brands of; whisky found on the man was not kept, in stock at the Pier Hotel, neither were/ such decanters as those in question used, in the hotel.

The charge against the licensee (for whom Mr. M. Myers appeared) was dismissed.

In Simms's case, the Magistrate de-. cided that it was covered- by a recent judgment of Mr. Justice Sim, that where! an employee was sent to a bar to do porter's work he could not be said to be' acting as a barman, and the licensee was not responsible. for the actions of such employee during closed hours. -The man on whom the liquor was found was so drunk that it was inadvisable to accept his evidence. The charge was dismissed.

Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared for Simms.

Hugh Gunn and Dennis Long were charged with being on licensed premises—to wit, the Thistle Inn—during prohibited hours. _ The former stated that he was waiting for breakfast, and the case was dismissed. Long stated that he was. in the to get a drink if he could obtain it, and a fine of £1 and 7s oosts was imposed. H. R. Wallace, for selling liquor after hours, was fined £5 and costs. The Magistrate said he would not endorse the license, as the liquor sold was bought for an invalid.

Mr. E. Pine Bosh, formerly of Wellington, is now a member of the Figman Comedy Company, which arrived in Wellington yesterday from Sydney.

Mr, E. J. Watt, well-known in New Zealand and Australian racing circles, arrived in Wellington by the Moeraki from Sydney last evening.

A private cable message received in Wellington announces the death in a military hospital in England from influenza of Captain Richard Riddiford, a member of one of the best-known families in this part of tbe Dominion. Deceased, who was a single man, born in the Wairarapa 33 years ago, was the_ only son of the late Mr. Richard Riddiford, and a nephew of the late Mr. E. J. Riddiford, of the Lower Hutt. He'received his edu-* cation at Wanganui College, and afterwards took up pastoral pursuits. At the time of his death he was. tbe owner of the Orui station, near Castlepoint. His mother, who was a daughter of the late Mr. H. S. Wardell,. has been dead for some time. Mrs. Robert I*evin, of Feilding, is hi* only sister. Captain Riddiford left with the Bth Retiforcem'ents in November, 1915, and distinguished himself in the battlefields. He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery in rescuing some of his men from No-Man's -Land/ and was also honoured with the membership of the Order of the British Empire. For some time he acted as A.D.C. to General Sir Andrew RnsselL In former years he was a prominent poSo player, and very popular.

Marshal Foch, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied armies, wrote the following- letter to the New York Bible Society: "To the New York Bible Society: The Bible is certainly the best comforter that you can give to an American soldier about to go into battle to sustain his magnificent ideals and faith."

For some time past the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union has been anxious to send an investigator to study the bird life of Macquarie Island, the remote dependency of the Commonwealth, 900 miles south-east of Hobart, and particularly the conditions under which the boiling-down of penguins tor oil is carried on. At the last meeting of the council a letter was read from the Department of Trade and Customs stating that the Department was unable to send anyone to Macquarie Island. The council decided to ask authorities of the National Museum if they could send an officer to Macquarie Island, as it was felt that it would be regrettable if advantage Were not taken of the opportunity offered to visit the island during the present season.

Which should come first, peace or armistice? History's examples give varying answers. At the conclusions of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814, of the Crimean War in 1856, and of the Franco-German War in 1871, the armistice came first. In 1866 and 1878 peace preliminaries aad armistice were signed on the same day, but peace came first. The Russo-Japanese War ended in a sort of stalemate, and the Danish War in 1864 and the Second Balkan War in 1913 reached their close by unconditional surrender.

Canon Hannay ("George Birmingham" in literature) was in a transport, in _ corner with a brigadier and a sea-sick Russian. The brigadier warned the Russian to be careful how he bestowed himself. "Don't put ,your feet on my haver-: sack," he said. "There's a bottle of hairwash in it." "There'll be a worse spill if you trample on mine," murmured the militant canon. "There's a bottle of Benedictine in it." "Padre," said _a* brigadier, "I'm ashamed of yon. I had .the decttK-j, to call ■ ii £_i&r___."-