THE LIQUOR LAW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13286, 19 September 1906, Page 8

THE LIQUOR LAW.

GISBORNE CASES.

[BY TELEGRAPH. OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Gisborne, Tuesday. A series of prosecutions, the result of a police visit to the Record Reign Hotel, on Sunday, the 9fch inst., took place today. Two young men were each fined £1, and 7s costs, for being illegally on the premises. Another defendant pleaded not guilty, and urged that he was in the hotel for a lawful purpose. He was an accountant, and was in the habit of keeping the accounts of many of the hotelkeepers in town, and ho did his work on Sundays chiefly. For that purpose he was there on Sunday, 9th inst., and it had not been shown that he was there for breaking the provisions of the Act. The magistrate reserved his decision. The licensee, Joseph Burke, was charged with refusing to admit the police into a room in the hotel. Sergeant Williams deposed that on the occasion of the visit referred to, after taking the names of the first two defendants, and searching the hotel register, he applied for admission to a room, and the licensee refused, saying it was his private room. The magistrate said it was clearly laid down that the prosecution must, show that the constable had reasonable grounds to believe that, the statute had been violated, or was being violated. The constable must have reasonable grounds for entering a room. To His Worship's mind, the constable had not reasonable- grounds for thinking that a violation of the statute had taken place, and the. case would be dismissed.