CONDUCT OF HOTEL

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 58, 5 September 1940, Page 5

CONDUCT OF HOTEL

TEMPORARY LICENCE

ADVERSE REPORTS

OUT OF BOUNDS TO SOLDIERS

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, September 4. The Victoria Hotel has been placed out of bounds for soldiers in uniform. This action by the military authorities was advised by the police in a letter received at a meeting of the Auckland Licensing Committee when Nelson Samuel Fraser (Mr. Elliot) applied for confirmation of his temporary licence, issued in July.

"I have never heard of such action having been taken in New Zealand before," said the chairman, Mr. W. R. McKean, S.M. "There must be some very substantial reason for it. A second letter from the police indicates that the licensee has been doing something he knows perfectly well he should not be doing. He has supplied liquor to soldiers who have no intention of staying the night and wants to treat them as boarders."

A police letter drew attention to the irregular conduct of the hotel in connection with a system of booking in persons after hours. It also stated that inquiries were being made with a view to appropriate action being taken against the persons concerned.

The letter contained portion of a statement taken by the police from a soldier found on the premises last Thursday night. "On entering the hotel," the soldier said, "I was stopped by a barman, who always attends to the bedroom book. He asked my name, and when I gave it, he told me, 'You will be in room 18; now don't forget.' I paid nothing for the room and was not shown where it was, but I had my name placed in the book in case the police came. I had no intention of staying at the hotel. I was going home for the night."

Mr. Elliot said the licensee had no knowledge of the reason for the Army's action in placing the hotel out of bounds. The allegation about the booking system, would come before the Court in the ordinary way.

The chairman referred to a further police report alleging that a sergeant found the licensee under the influence of liquor when the hotel was visited at 9.10 p.m. on August 11.

"The licensee obtained a medical certificate that he was sober at 10 p.m.," said counsel, referring to the absence of convictions against the licensee.

The Magistrate: You are not suggesting we should ignore these reports? A licensee with no, convictions is not necessarily better than one with two or three convictions, nor does the fact that he* is in possession of a certificate of fitness and a temporary licence make it incumbent on the committee to grant a permanent It was decided to defer the application for a fortnight, till police investigations were completed. It was stated that the licensee's temporary licence would continue to be effective in the meantime.