“AFTER HOURS”

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 June 1925, Page 8

“AFTER HOURS”

LICENSEES’ DIFFICULTIES. At the Manaia Magistrate’s Court last week, when the licensee of the Manaia Hotel was charged with after hours trading, and seven men were charged with being on licensed premises after hours, some interesting observations in regard to the Licensing Act were made by Mr A. M. Mowlem, S.M. Sergeant Henry, who prosecuted, said that in country places such as Manaia men who were customers of a particular hotel in legal hours, thought they could go to a hotel and demand liquor after hours. This put the licensee in an unfortunate position, because such customers practically held out a threat that were they not supplied they would remove their custom to another hotel. He thought the fines for those found in hotels after

hours were inadequate, and the case in point was almost one where the men in question should be charged' with aiding and abetting the licensee in the commission of the offence. The Magistrate said he was certain hotelkeepers had a hard row to hoe in small towns, where there were more than one hotel. It appeared pjain that many an honest licensee had been tempted into a breach of the law when his legal customers came after hours, not only because of the danger of losing their custom, but also of their friends’ custom. I£, a licensee was stupid enough to break the law he had do pay. The penalty on the men who tempted him was most inadequate, for they were the greatest offenders. The reply was quite plainly that the licensee should be sufficiently stiffnecked and straight-backed to uphold the law, but at the same time in a small town like Manaia, where there was considerable rivalry between the hotels,, a premium to pay for the license, high rent, etc., the licensee had something to aid him in committing the offence beside the fact of a customer “blowing in” and asking for a . drink. He probably had to make every post a winner, and' a half-crown in his till was worth something, even though he got it after hours. If for this reason the licensee thought it worth while to break the law. he was the man who had to suffer. There was something in what the sergeant had

said about aiding and abetting, continued his Worship. The customer knew the law, and in the words of the sergeant, thought they “would give it a go.”

Fines totalling £8 were inflicted on the licensee, and tach of the other defendants was fined £2, Mr Mowlem remarking that the section of the Act dealing with men found on licensed premises was far too lenient in its penalty, which should be £lO at least. He would have representations made to the proper authorities on the subject. 9