THE LIQUOR LAW.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 528, 23 March 1908, Page 2

THE LIQUOR LAW.

MAGISTRATE COMMENTS ON JUVENILE DRINKING. In giving judgment on Friday in a case in which James Geddes, licensee of the Douglas Hotel, Dunedin, was clharged with permitting drunkenness in his hotel, and with serving one ; N M'lntosh, when drunk, Mr Widdowsom, S.M., said that so far as M'intosh was concerned, there oou-ld lie no doubt that he was disgracefully drunk. This matter of juvenile drinking had been previously referred to, and was emphasised here. It showed a deplorable state of things in regard to the young men of Dunedin ; and to the young men of the Dominion. As regarded M'lntosh's evidence, it was very unsatisfactory. It seemed, however, that he diid not know exactly what took place that aiight. On the evidence there was a lapse of three quarters of an hour, in which time M'lntosh got drunk. He must have got liquor somewhere, but there was nothing to show that he got ithe drink at the Douglas Hotel, which reduced him to such a beastly state of intoxication. From" his (the magistrate's knowledge, he knew that young men did obtain bottles of beer and drink it in the street. Apparently M Intosh got the beer, as he said, rrom a ■ stranger. Whether this was true or not he (the magistrate) could not say < from the whole of the evidence. The case would have to be dismissed. One i other matter he would like to speak on was that Mr Geddes was a highly, respectable man as am hotelkeeper. lo all hotelkeepers he would say that 't < would be better for them if they gave these young fellows only one^ drink. That the young men were entitled to j drink there could be no question, but j it would be better to serve them with only one drink, no more. i