EGGS ON ELECTION NIGHT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 12, 15 January 1912, Page 3

EGGS ON ELECTION NIGHT.

A CHRISTCHURCH INCIDENT

m 9JI^ IS! IOjiuECH J Jan- 11----llie Chnstchurch. Licensing Committee sat to-day to hear a oom- : plaint lodged against Warner's Hotel ! that on general election niglit rotten : eggs -were- thrown from the building. i 'J-"he i>olica evidonco was to the I effect that eggs were thrown from the ! LaJcony or other part of the building, i vdiere people congregated to see the ■ j posting of election results. j For the defence evidence was called to vivovo that no eggs were tniwvn.

I j Jhe committee retired to consider | ; their finding, and on returning the chairman (the Rev. It. S. Gray; said ; the committee considered 1/he police were abundantly justified in bringing i the char,ge. They did not for a | moment agree that the matter was i a storm in a teacup, as had been (suggested. The committee: believed j that the police had quite proved I t»eir oa-se. The evidence led for the | defence was purely' negative, and the committee accepted, absolutely theevidence given by tli^ police 'as to the faces.; The committee did not think that the licensee (Mr Palmer) was personally connected • with the ■offences, and they made allowances forthe fact that it was election, night, and that Mr Palmer could not exeraise the- same, .supervision, over the hotel that he was supposed to do, and presumably did d*>, on ordinary occasions. The committee' reprehended very strongly tho language which Mr Palmer is declared to have used to the police, and which had not been denied by him. The committee disapproved also of the suggestion which Mr Palmer made to Sergeant Miller that if the sergeant waited upon him. in private clothes he would find him a man. The committee held very strongly that that should not be the attitude of a, licensee of a public house to any police officer, for an officer of police was always an officer of police i#:« far as a public house was concerned. The committee did not think they were justified in taking any action in xegard to the licensee n view ni tho. special circumstances of the ease, but they believed" the police were absolutely justified in bringing the charge and thsit on the evidence the charge would be upheld.