LICENSING CASES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22941, 20 January 1938, Page 14

LICENSING CASES

LIQUOR 'SALE ALLEGED

TE KUITI PROSECUTIONS ■. iONE DEFENDANT FINED £65 [ 11Y TELKOHAPH —OWN COURKSI'ONDKNT] TE KUITI. Wednesday Fines totalling £OS were imposed upon William Noel .Teffcott, a linesman and labourer, who appeared in the Magistrate's Court before Mr. F. H. Levien, K.M., charged, with four breaches of the Licensing Act. Ho was fined £'so and costs for selling liquor on December 17 and £ls and costs for selling liquor on December 21. On two charges of keeping liquor for sale he was convicted and ordered to pay costs. Mr. H. 'J'. Morton appeared for defendant, who pleaded not guilty. Constable Hunter, of Auckland, stated that while in To Kuiti on special duty on December 17 he an Islander named Mokai and the two went in the back way to Jcffcott's house to buy three quarts of beer, paying 2s 6d a bottle. On December 21 witness went in alone and bought two bottles of beer. Search by Police Evidence was given by the police of executing a search warrant at Jeffcott's place. Six dozea quarts of ale were found. Several men called and knocked at the door, being detained and later charged with being illegally on the premises for the purpose of dealing in liquor. Defendant denied that he had ever sold beer during 23 years in To Kuiti and said that ho always notified all beer brought into his house. The magistrate said that a man earning £4 13s a month with a wife and three children could not afford to buy for his own uso 10 dozen quarts of beer in a month as his liquor notifications showed, especially if he ran a motor-car. Hotel Proprietor Charged

Charges of keeping liquor for sale on December 21 and selling it on tho same date were preferred against tho proprietor of the Grand Central Hotel, Herbert Mowat Young. The magistrate reserved his decision on tho first charge and dismissed the second.

Mr. N. S. Johnson, of Hamilton, appeared for defendant, who pleaded not guilty.

Giving evidence on the first charge of selling liquor, Constable Hunter said he and another man booked in at the hotel on December 21. He bought two bottles of beer in the afternoon and then at 9.20 p.m. defendant served him with two more bottles of beer. Defendant gave evidence, which was corroborated by his wife and a housemaid, that all'three were in Hamilton from B.HO a.m. until after 5 p.m. on December 21. Ho said ho had never previously seen Hunter. / In dismissing the case the magistrate said he had to place the same relianco as would a jury on the evidence of Young being in Hamilton. Liquor Seized Concerning the second charge evidence was given by the police of a raid on December 23 when a quantity of liquor was seized from six different parts of the hotel. In room 3, described as being fitted out as a bar, was a number of men drinking. Apart from those about ,20 men around the premises had had liquor. Defendant explained that one lot of liquor seized was the personal property of a boarder, while a few bottles of whisky, gin and brandy in his bedroom were his personal property. .That afternoon there had been a wedding reception at the hotel and the bridegroom had asked him to take a dozen bottles of beer for the staff and boarders and retain the rest so that he could treat his friends at Kaipaki on his return from his honeymoon.

AFTER HOURS TRADING HOTEL LICKNSKK FINED [hy tei.kgra ph—own cojuikspoxdknt] TE AWAMUTU, Wednesday For selling liquor after hours the licensee of the Ohaupo Hotel, Stanley Julian Kawlinson, was fined £4 and costs by Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., in the Te Awamutu Police Court to-day. Constable J. Forsyth stated that he saw two men, George Hallidav and Malcolm Black, leaving the hotel on a Sunday with liquor in their possession. Halliday and Black were fined £1 10s and costs.

SALE IN NO-LICENCE AREA ,

CONVICTION ON TWO CHARGES

[BV TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION]

INVERCARGILL. Wednesday

Two charges of selling liquor in a no-licence area were admitted by Andrew Allen McKenzio in the Police Court to-day. . Senior-Sergeant W. Kelly explained that on the evening of November *29 a constable had visited defendant's home in Ettrick Street and had paid 7s for four bottles of beer. Again on Dccembw 1 a constable had paid 3s 6d for two bottles! The premises had been raided and 115 bottles of beer were seized. ' "Receipts found showed that during November accused obtained over 400 bottles of beer and paid £36 for liquor, pointing to a fairly extensive business," added tho senior-sergeant. "In 1936 and 1937 he was fined £lO for keeping liquor for sale." Defendant was convicted on each charge and the fixing of the penalty was adjourned for a fortnight to see what action defendant intended taking to secure employment.