PATROL IN DARK

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 118, 15 November 1945, Page 9

PATROL IN DARK

LIQUOR VIGILANTES

CHECK ON DUNEDIN HOTELS P.A. DUNEDIN, November 14.

The existence of an organisation in Dunedin to keep watch on after-hour trading in city hotels has been disclosed. The suspicion that the police supervision of hotels was being privately reinforced was recently raised in the minds of licensees by telephone warnings to clear their bars or face the consequences.

Inquiries rjow show that this organisation is a vigilance committee set up by the Methodist Central Mission to counter what it regards as excessive after-hour drinking. It consists of the Rev. Harris Whitfield and six other members of the Methodist Church. The committee, working in pairs, has made a practice of watching hotels at nights and when men are seen entering the premises has rung the licensee and warned him to get them out.

A member of the committee said Friday nights found them very busy. On one such night betvveen 7.50 p.m. and 8.50 p.m. he declared that a warning resulted in 92 men leaving a certain hotel and on another occasion there was a hasty exodus of 34.

Mr. Whitfield said that, while he did not desire to cause strife or friction with licensees, he thought it high time that after-hour excesses were brought before the public.