SLY GROGGERS CONVICTED

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 March 1943, Page 2

SLY GROGGERS CONVICTED

LOOPHOLE IN ACT AUCKLAND, March 5. Further sly-grog cases were heard in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, when Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., imposed heavy penalties. Principal interest was in the case of William H. Robins, who pleaded to being the occupier of a Queen Street wineshop. On January 18 a oolicewoman purchased a bottle of wine from the girl in charge of the shop, Gladys Marion Evans., and when a search of the shop wa’s made it was found to contain 84 quarts of wine, 33 quarts of whisky, and 30 quarts of gin. It was submitted for Robins that the business dealt solely in New Zealand wine which could be sold in two gallon lots without a license. Evans had strict instructions to sell not less than two gallons. The whisky and gin had been in the shop only since the previous day and was the property of American Navy men, friends of Robins, who left it at the shop for safe- keeping. In evidence, Robins claimed that he had carried on a perfectly legitimate business and that he had never sold a single bottle of wine or any spirits in his life. He had sold 2000 gallons of wine since December. In sentencing Robins to a month’s imprisonment with hard labour, and ordering the liquor to be seized and confiscated, the Magistrate said it was quite clear that Robins was not in the genuine wine business. This type of business was being exploited because of a loophole in the Licensing Act which enabled New Zeland wine to be sold in two gallon lots with no restriction whatever. Evans was convicted and fined £5. on the charge of selling without a license, the Magistrate remarking that she was only a servant. William A. Miller, who admitted selling a dozen bottles of ale for 30/-, was sentenced to a month’s gaol with hard labour, and Charles Henry Alfred Parker received a similar sentence. T , Mrs Riseland Kathleen Mclsack, who was charged with selling liquor in a no-license district, at Grey Lynn, was fined £4O and costs.