CONDUCT OF HOTEL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 6 April 1943, Page 2

CONDUCT OF HOTEL

PROPRIETRESS CHARGED ALLEGED HOUSE OF ILL-FAME Wellington, This Day. The hearing of a charge against Mrs Sarah Anne Vangioni, aged 54. of permitting as proprietress, the Balmoral Private Hotel in Courtenay Place to be used as a house of ill-fame occupied practically the whole of yesterday in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, before Mr Stilwell. S.M The case was still not finished when the Court adjourned at 9 p.m Mr C. H. Weston, K.C., with him Mr G. A. Scott, appeared for Mrs Vangioni, who pleaded not guilty. SeniorSergeant Paine said 13 witnesses would be called for the police. Sergeant G. Callaghan gave evidence that in consequence of complaints made concerning the Balmoral Hotel he had a surveillance made of the premises from 9th to 13th March. He watched the premises at 10.20 or 10.30 p.m. on the night of 13th March, taking up his position on a fire-escape landing. Witness described what he saw on that occasion of the actions of women and

servicemen in various rooms. This night there was a continual stream of

servicemen and women entering and leaving the premises by the side entrance. Witness called to see defendant at 4 p.m. on 12th March and found her in a room reeking with liquor. In a bathroom on the first floor were 16 empty beer cartons. Witness watched between 10 and 11 p.m. that night from the fire-escape platform. Witness subsequently called on defendant, telling her there were reasonable grounds for believing she permitted the premises to be used as a house of ill-fame, and that she would be charged with this. Defendant replied : “How can you say that?” and consented to a search of the premises. Generally, the place was dirty. Quite a number of women, some of whom were afterward released, were detained when the premises were raided on the night of 13th March.

Cross-examined, witness said the raid was made by eight policemen in collaboration with five or six American marine police.

Sergeant G. Homes testified that following a complaint made by the licensee of the Terminus Hotel, which adjoined the premises of the Balmoral Hotel, he interviewed Mrs Vangioni, who said she catered for male lodgers only, mainly servicemen. She said she did not cater for female lodgers, but did not object to their entering the premises, provided they behaved themselves

Robert Cornelius Scanlan. licensee of the Terminus Hotel, said that he had been obliged to complain to the police concerning what was thrown out of the vyindows of the Balmoral Hotel. When the bedroom windows of the Balmoral were open,- he could see young girls drinking out of bottles.

Ernest Edward Jolly, company secretary. resident at the Terminus Hotel for about seven years, gave similar evidence.

Bussell V. Harper, U.S. Marine Corps irn itary policeman, said in evidence that during; a period of two months he had visited the Balmoral at least a dozen times. There were marines or sailors in nearly every room and parties going on. No complaint was made bv the proprietress concerning the marines T T g o^ oral L - Shark, of the U.S. Marme Corps military police, said ne had visited the Balmoral in the course of his inquiries, and found numerous servicemen and women there. ih a i Vatio ? s , whi c | ' he had made of the Balmoral Hotel'were detailed bv Constaoie P. Harkess. Evidence was also given by Constables J. B. Ritchie, J. r. Cleary and F. Foley. Phoebe Manawatu, formerly emploved as a housemaid and then to book people into the hotel, said servicemen w,°n d “T,, 40 her lor rooma and she would send them to Mrs Vangioni who wu.d send them back to witness with “r 4 ? a room f ° r them - Regulai boarders had returned to find other people in their rooms and Mrs Vangioni would then blame witness for over-booking. Witness had frequently booked different couples into the one room on the same night under Mrs Vangioni s instructions. Cross-examin-ed, witness said that by regular boardretook 1s eant niar i” es who booked and te-booked rooms by the week, going back to camp on alternate nights This concluded the case for the police f,U Hl r a°m e t-II y Were then ad ioai '- d