ELTHAM NEWS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 3 September 1925, Page 4

ELTHAM NEWS.

AVAR MEMORIAL FUND

A;b a meeting of the ELtlkum War Memorial comimu/tltee om Tuesday a nepomt wa.s presented ou.the progress of; tb© eiaimipaign. The amount m the j bank and in hand was £152 Ids ltd aim pioii.mi.seis made reached £sl. Mllie opinion, wiais expressed that not sutnicient “ginger” was being pub into the campaign, and comment was made -h on the .smallness of the sum raised. After a discussion in committee it was reported that the Mayor (Air. I; J. , Biidger) and Air. PteppereJl had 'been asked to wait upon the various lodges 7 to ask for their assistance, and an endeavour would also be made to organise a ball. EG MONT LICENSING COMMITTEE. At the quarterly meeting of the Figment Licensing Committee ail application by Nellie Nightingale for a permanent transfer or the license of the Oipunaike Hotel to 11. • S. Jeukin, was granted. Sergeant Henry reported that repairs to the Raliotu Hotel had been carried out.

Bill EACH OF LICENSING ACT. At a sitting of the Magistrate’s Court five men, Boy John Tayler, Francis Dennis Case, John Alexander Bethune, William Leonard Nodder land Harry Alexander Blaekstoek were charged that they were found unlawfully on the licensed' premises of the Central Hotel, Efithaim, at a. time when such premises were required to be closed by law. The were i ©presented by Mr. J. Weir, who entered pleas of guilty. It was stated by Sergeant Henry that on August 15, at 6.30 p.m., Constable Townsend happened to be passing the Central Hotel when lie heard voices in the bar. The constable went into the hotel from the Bridge street entrance and along a passage way to a door leading to the bar. He tried the door which was closed hut not locked. On going into the bar the constable found two bca/rders and five other men there.

Speaking on behalf of the defendants, counsel said that the five men, who were friends, had been invited in to have a drink by two men named Arnott and Carlson, men who worked in the bush and who came to Eltham. every four- or live montiis for .a, few days' holiday. Arnott had been a regular visitor for the past twenty years and had made the Central Hotel his home. Arnott and Carlson weie going in to dinner, and met the five defendants standing outside the hotel talking. Being old friends, Arnott invited them in for a drink. The party found the door of the bar unlocked, and Arnott forced his way into the bar and demanded drinks all round. The defendants certainly believed that they could be invited into . the hotel by a boarder. The licensee was in the bar at the time. He had gone across to the men and had remonstrated with them, telling them that they might bring him into trouble. And at the psychological moment the constable arrived. The magistrate imposed a fine of £1 in each case and ordered them to each pay 7s costs. The licensee, A. 0. Casey, was also charged that he “did aid, assist, counsel and procure” the above defendants to commit an offence punishable on summary conviction —that of being on licensed premises after hours. He was further charged that, being the licensee of the Central Hotel, he did keep the premises open after hours for the sale of liquor. Air. Weir appeared for defendant, who pleaded guilty to a tech, nical offence on the second charge. Sergeant Henry said that when the constable entered, the licensee * was clearing the till and the previous defendants all appeared' td be at ease in the bar. Empty glasses were on the counter, but there was no suggestion on the part of the police that the glasses had been used: by the men. The police were not in a position to say what happened, and were.not prepared to say how long th e men had been in the bar. Casey was a well-. known publican in South Taranaki, and as far as the police were concerned he conducted his hotel quite satisfactorily. Air. AVeir recounted the previous explanation, and said that only one of the five hotel doors was unlocked. Ar- / nott in a loud voice had called for drinks for the crowd, and Casey had immediately gone across and' remonstrated with him for his noise, and asked them to go out, as he would get into trouble, when the constable walked in. Casey, who was a good publican, would say that no drinks were served to the men, and clean glasses, showing that no drink had been served, were on the counter in front of them. • 1 . Dealing with the charge of aiding and abetting, Sergeant Henry (Said that the defendant Casey should 3iave given his explanation- to the constable at the time of the visit. The police would then have known how to lave treated the matter when it came be k fore the court. Casey should lav used all his endeavours to remove the men and should liav e communicated with the police. fi Air. AVeir said the circumstances lid not bear out the charge of aiding end abetting. _ ' The magistrate imposed a fine of i 3, with court costs amounting to 7s, *n the second charge of opening. Tie other charge had been brought to shew the hotelkeepers the law, and he considered the charge should be witldifrtvn. —Abridged 1 -from Elthnm Argui.