"SING TIE LOU"

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 115, 17 May 1930, Page 11

"SING TIE LOU"

BILLIAED SALOON RAID

SEQUEL IN THE COURT

When tho street was thronged with shoppers, a party of detectives in charge of Detective-Sergeant Holmes raided tho York Billiard Saloon, at 31, Manners street, about 8.40 o'clock last evening, and arrested the proprietor, Joseph Hall, aged 36, on a charge of using the saloon as a common gaming house, also' fourteen men found on the premises. The sudden appearance of tho detectives supplied some exciting minutes for the crowd, _. which quickly increased; so much, so, in fact, that when the police came out of the building to place their charges in the "Black Maria" there was scarcely room to move. The men were subsequently bailed out at tho police station, and to-day they appeared in the Magistrate's Court. "Sing Tie Lou" was the game in which a number of tho men were alleged to have been interested.. Hall, who pleaded guilty to the charge of having used the saloon as a common gaining house, was lined £15, in default twenty-one days' imprisonment, and the following were fined *.J and costs each on a charge of having been found in a common gaming house without lawful purpose:—James Martin Hickie, plumber, aged 19; John .Nelson Beattie, .storeman, aged 22; Joseph Mallia, labourer, aged 21; Edward John Prince, motor-driver, aged 28; Joseph Woodward, ' boilermaker, aged *i:, Frank Charles Carter, seaman, aged 21- John William Alexander Larwoocl, storeman, aged 19; Samuel Barker, motor-driver, aged 29; Harold Allan Green, metalworker, aged 21; Victor Alexander Collins, plumber, aged 1b; and Eonald Desmond Cudby, seaman, agThree' of tho youths arrested were under the age of 18, and tho Magistrate decided to deal with them m the Juvenile Court next Saturday With tho exception of Hickie, Mallia, Larwood, and Collins, tho others pleaded guilty. . , A DICE GAME. Detective-Sergeant Holmes said that Hair was a licensed bilhard-room proprietor. For some time past complaints had been received regarding unlawful games taking place on his premises m Manners street. A watch was kept, and it was found that a dice game Sing Tie Lou," was being played. Although the stakes were not high, a iair amount of damage had been done 'in that the game had introduced a number ot youths into the way of gambling. Hall had not been before the Court previ""counscl for Hall, Mr. W. E. Leicester, submitted that-the fact that Hall had been able to renew his licence from year to year indicated that his conduct had been regarded as satisfactory. A GENTLEMAN'S EDUCATION. It was -well known, continued counsel, that since earliest times a gentleman 's education was completed at the gaming tables. He did not think, that circumstances had altered very much to-day, for after all boys would _ be boys. One could not go into a billiard room without being able- to "pick up" a game of pool or Chinaman, on which money was risked. At the present time ali-iost every day it was possible to buy art union tickets iv tho streets, and on other occasions race books also. There was nothing to prevent any of the young men caught in the saloon from going out to Trentham and risking their money there, and if they lost ho did not know that they would bo much worse off. The stakes in the billiard s.aloon were Id, 2d, and-3d, and a very small amount would pass even if one was consistently unlucky during the evening. Hall had instructed him that the saloon had only been run in this way for the past two ' or three 'months, and it was only on a Friday night that tho small game complained of took place. He understood that some of the youths charged had not taken part in the gambling. ( Counsel submitted that the premises did not constitute a gaming house in the proper sense of tho word,1 and he asked the Magistrate not to inflict a prohibitive fine. LAW PROVIDES PENALTY. ' In fining Hall, the Magistrate (Mr. T. B. M'Noi], S.M.) said that it might be that in times past a gentleman's education was not finished until he had visited the gaming tables, but there was legislation providing a penalty, and tho defendant would have to be convicted. He would take into consideration what counsel had said, and would fine the defendant £15. Default was fixed at 21 days' imprisonment. Mr. Leicester asked the Magistrate to allow Hall time to pay the fine. Detective-Sergeant Holmes: "We are holding $15 at the present timo." Under tjiese circumstances the Magis-. trato said that-ho was unable to allow the defendant time. • GUARD AT THE DOOR. . With regard to' Hickie, Mallia, Larwood, and Collins, Constable A. T. Gillum gave evidonce that he was present iv the billiard saloon from 8.5 p.m. until after the raid. The four defendants were in the room. Mallia was on guard at the door, and whon the detec-tives-entered ho cried out: "Look out, Joe." Mallia was immediately placed under arrost. The other three defendants had been; playing or wero round the gambling school while the game was being played. Mallia, Larwood, and Collins said they had nothing to say. Hickie, from the dock, stated that,he had only been in the saloon a few minutes when the police arrived. He 'was sitting down talking to Larwood.

The Magistrate, as previously mentioned,, decided that the defendants must be convicted.