WINE VENDOR IN COURT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 13 October 1927, Page 7

WINE VENDOR IN COURT.

ALLEGED BREACH OF ACT,

SALES AT TAWHITI. Alleged breaches of the Licensing Act accounted for the appearance before Mr. J. S. Barton in the Hawera Court this aftenioon of Alfred William Perron', who was charged on two counts that, not being licensed to sell liquor in retail quantities, he sold wine in quantities of less than two gallons to Albert Reid and John Edward Pennell at Hawera on September 15, 1926. Through his counsel, Mr. George I Chuck, defendant pleaded not guilty. The prosecution was conducted by Sergeant Henry, who told the court that defendant, who was a travelling salesman for an. Auckland firm of wine merchants, had visited the Tawhiti factory in September. He met three men, Jack Ford, Albert Reid and John Edward Pennell, and the three agreed to take between them a case of wine of 12. bottles, the order being given in the name of one' of the three. When defendant came to deliver the wine about a. week later Ford was unable to accept his quota and, after some discussion, defendant opened the case, giving four quart bottles each to Reid and Pennell. These were paid for/by the two, and the remaining four bottles were taken away by defendant. By breaking up the case and selling the wine in quantities of less than two gallons defendant had committed a breach of section 195 of the Licensing Act, said the sergeant. Evidence of the sale a.s outlined by the sergeant was given by Albert Reid, factory hand employed at TawhitL who stated that thp case had originally been ordered in Pennell’s name. At the time the order had been .given, about the middle of September, Ford Pennel and witness had agreed to purchase a. case between them. The price paid bv witness and Pennell for the four bottles each had received had been 38s, witness handing_£l to defendant and Pennell 18s. At the time of the •sale witness was about two weeks under the age of 21. He understood defendant had taken a wav thp remaining four bott’es in the case, a® witness had seen him place them in his car. Corroborative evidence was given by another factorv emplovee, Jobn Ed-

ward Pennell, who had signed the order on behalf of the trio. He thought it wa s sometime in September that defendant had made the first visit, but the deliverv of the wine might have been made early in October.

Witness identified an _ order dated August 31 as tbe one bavins been signed bv him. This was handed in hy dehii'lnnt’s counsel. Evidence that he had seen cases similar to that, referred to. and that thev contained 12 reputed quarts, which to comply with the law were recognised as aporoximately two gallon®, was given hy Sergeant Henry. This conchided the evidence for the prosecution.

(Proceeding)