HALCOMBE HOTEL

Feilding Star, Volume 7, Issue 2242, 25 June 1929, Page 8

HALCOMBE HOTEL

CHARGES AGAINST LICENSEE LIQUOR AFTER HOURS DECISIONS RESERVED Before Mr R. M. Watson, S.M., at the Feilding Court, -to-day, William j.l oiln Rogers (Mr Ongley) pleaded not guilty to two charges ol' the ( Licensing Act, of having respectively sold liquor and expo.sot I liquor lor I sale- after hours. Sergeant Cahill proseen ted i | Constable Ruddle fetaetd Ho had gone to the Halcombe, Idoto ] at 8.25 p.m. on May 22, with Constable Pike. Tlie private entrance, of tire hotel was open. Witness entered the bar parlour and there found lour men, and the ljccnsoe inside the bar behind the slide. He questioned Corbett, one of the men, who said be had had tea, and this was Iris first drink and he was going home afterwards, and that the licensee- was shouting. Nesbit, another man present, said tlie licensee was shouting for him. The licensee said in answer ..to Constable Pike that throe of 'lie men had Had tea in the luitel, and lie liad promised to shout for them if they won a football match that day. 'ihe time Corbett was holding a glass 1 " of shand.v and the others had empty glasses. The licensee admitted having supplied throe shandies to the •mart and to the other one (a young limit 10 years old) with! squash and lemonade. The men, on being asked, said they were not hoarders.

To Mr OngleyThroe of the men -bad-overcoats on, and wore apparently ready to go. There was no money on the slide.. No attempt was made by the men to deceive, and the licensee apparently had told the truth.

Constable Pike corroborated the evidence of Constable Ruddle. Mr Ongley submitted that in the circumstances there was no breach ol the law. He quoted authorities. Defendant gave evidence that he had seen two of the men before they left, with the Halcombe football team : to play a match, at Rata. In tlie course of bnrrneh he had promised to shout for them if they won. Ihe match as played at Rata and Holcombe won. The four men. mentioned in the ease had tea at tlte hotel, and nfter tea h chad asked them to come and have the drinks he had promised. Three men had shandies and the fourth, a. youth, squaqqsli and lemonade. Defendant had a whisky. While they were Raving the drinks, the police arrived. There was no opportunity for the men to put their heads together, and concoct, a story.. To Sergt. Cahill: The slide was open, and a person by looking round inside the slide could see the liquor. Three of the men had had tea on the premises, arriving there at about > p.m., and afterwards sat in the sitting room. The fourth man, Hughes, Had come jri later, and joined the others; lie had not been to the football match.

Robert Gearv gave evidence that he'had gone to Rata to play football, and before leaving lie. had been speaking ot Rogers. Rogers said, in reply to a statement by one of the players, that lie would shout for them if they won the match. After they returned from the match, they had tea at the hotel, and afterwards went to the sitting room. While there Hughes joined'them. Rogers shouted for the fdtir,' and while they wore having the drink the police came in. Nesbit also gave, evidence. The Magistrate said he would go

over the evidence and give his decision next Court day.

Charges were also laid against Nesbit., Corbett, Geary and Hoghhs for being unlawfully 0,1 licensed premises. Mr Ongley appeared for Nesbit, Goarv and Hughes, ami was willing that the evidence given in the ease against Rogers should, he taken as that in the. charges against the others. With , regard to Hughes, lie pleaded guilty. Hughes lmd not had tea, on the premises, hut find gone there afterwards and had a diink.

Hughhs was fined 56s and 12s costs-.-

Decision was reserved in the other cases. <