LIQUOR TO GIRLS

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 February 1937, Page 2

LIQUOR TO GIRLS

HOTEL LICENSEE FINED [PEB PBKBB ASSOCIATION.] NELSON, February 26. “I regard this case as probably the worst I have had before me since I have been in Nelson, that is, in the last 14 or 15 years. I cannot see one redeeming feature about it. It is a very serious state of affairs.” This comment was made by the magistrate, Mr. T. E. Maunsell, S.M., when hearing charges against Daniel Ladislas Mahar, licensee ofthe Belgrove Hotel, of selling liquor after hours and supplying liquor to girls under the age of 21. Mahar was charged with exposing liquor for sale after hours on December 19, selling liquo.r after hours on December 20, and on four counts with supplying liquor to girls under the age of 21. Senior-Sergeant C. Petersen said that some of the facts were known to the magistrate, as they had come to light during an inquest arising from a ; fatal accident at Wai-iti. Liquor had been sold in the evening to patrons going to a dance, and after midnight there were at least 20 people at the hotel who were being supplied with liquor. These included four young women, the youngest of whom was 14J, the others being 15£, 17i, and 20. “The supply of liquor to young girls at any time is looked on very seriously,” remarked the senior-sergeant, “but more seriously when it is done indiscriminately by licensees at hotels.”. Mr. Brodie, for the accused, said he thought there was little that could be said for any publicai., knowing that he was supplying liquor to young girls, but something might be said for Mahar. The girls were all in evening frocks and did not look like young girls. Mahar had had no previous convictions against' him. Any drinking in the evening had no relation to the death that occurred in the accident. “What I regard as serious,” said the magistrate, “is supplying 1 liquor to those attending dances.at’a late hour of the night, and it is more particularly serious when it is supplied to women. It is a highly obnoxious practice, which' is gradually growing up. I am going to stop it if I possibly can. Any licensee who is detected supplying liquor to girls can expect to be very seriously dealt with. I am seriously considering whether I should not endorse the licensee’s license. “It is serious also in this respect," he continued. “The hotel is a difficult one to supervise. I hope in the future that when dances are held in that locality the police will see if there is any drinking going on and then inform me.”

Mahar was a first offender, and it had been laid down that there should be no endorsement for first offenders but he was going to show no consideration in the matter of fines, said the magistrate. He imposed fines of £5 10/- on each of the charges relating to supplying liquor to girls, £2 for exposing liquor and £3 for selling liquor after hours. Costs were ordered on each charge. 1 Mr. Brodie asked that leniency be extended in this case.

The magistrate: I am-sorry, but if this is a case where I can extend leniency I can’t conceive of a case where the penalty should be heavy. He has been flagrantly ignoring the law. “I have seen some bomments in the press,” said Mr. Maunsell,’ “by people interested in social matters and it has been disturbing the minds of many parents in New Zealand.”