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Greymouth Evening Star, 22 August 1939, Page 7

An unusual case was heard in the Magistrate’s Court at Wataroa, by Mr. Raymond Ferner, S.M. last week, when J. Morresey, licensee of the Wataroa Hotel, was charged ...with having refused to supply a meal when called upon to do so. Mr. M.'B. James (Hokitika) appeared for Morresey and entered a plea of not guilty.'.The police evidence was to the effect that a service car driver named Adamson had been detained with 27 passengers at Wataroa. by a wash-out. At 11.30 'a.m. Adamson had applied to Morresey for dinner to be served for himself and his passengers. but Morresey had refused. Under cross-examination Adamson said that he was always welcome in the kitchen of the hotel and, for himself, there was no need to ask for a meal. The S.M. said that the charge was limited to the refusal of a meal to Adamson, because none of the tourists was mentioned in the information under which the charge was laid, and because of the evidence of Adamson, it could not be said that he had been refused a meal. The charge, therefore, must fail on purely technical grounds. Morresey was required to do something reasonable for the party in providing refreshments. This he had not done. Had the prosecution been laid in respect of refusing to supply the tourists, Morresey must have been convicted.