EVENING BANQUETERS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVII, 18 August 1910, Page 8

EVENING BANQUETERS.

IMPORTANT TO LICENSEES. [PREBB, ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, August 17. A prosecution of considerable interest to licensees and evening banqueters who, to a certain extent, are the guests of a hotel for purposes of a smoke concert, dinner or ether enter tainment, was heard at the Magistrate's Court H»-day before Mr W. (i. Riddell, S-.M. Marshall John Donnelly, licensee of the New Zealand Hotel, was, on. the information of the police, charged that on the Bth of August, during a time at which his licensed premises were .directed to be closed by or in pursuance of •the Licensing Act, he allowed liquor, although purchased before the hour of closing the hotel, to be consumed on tie premises. The facts were that on the evening of the Bth August, the Ramblers' football Club., on the occasion of their winning the championship, held a dinner and smoke concert at the New Zealand Hotel. A quantity of beer, whisky and cordials was purchased in the afternoon for consumption at the dinner. Under section 190 of the Licensing Act any licensee who during the time at which licensed premises are directed to be closed, al-lowsa Ilows any liquor (even though purchased before the hour of closing) to be consumed on the premises is liable to a penalty not exceeding £10. At 10.30 p.m. Sergeant Kelly and Constable Bennett knocked at the front door f the hotel, and were promptly admitted. In the dining room the Ramblers' Club dinner was in progress. Someone was singing as the police reached the door, and the officers saw glasses in front of the banqueters and several jugs t»t beer on the table, -Counsel for the defence submitted that the case was not one for conviction. The entertainment started at 10.30, and it was probably over soo'i after 10.30. All that had been proved was that liquor was on the table when the police entered. There were some glasses containing a certain quanti -t of beer — mostly dregs — but most of the glasses had lemonade. The Magistrate convicted defendant and imposed a fine of 20s and costs.