BARMAN'S OFFENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23791, 19 October 1940, Page 8

BARMAN'S OFFENCE

SLY-GROG AT HOTEL PENALTY OF £ls IMPOSED COMMENT BY MAGISTRATE An unusual case was heard in the Police Court yesterday before Mr. C. P. Orr Walker. S.M.. when Harold Alder, porter and barman (Mr. North), was charged with sly-grog selling on licensed premises. Defendant pleaded not guilty. Evidence was given by Sergeant J. L. Adams that at 7.45 p.m. on August 31 he saw a man in the doorway of the Market Hotel, Grey's Avenue, looking to left and right. Another man came out and ran across to a motor-car. He was found to have four bottles of beer. Defendant was seen by the sergeant near a locked bar and finally admitted the sale, but said he was not paid for the beer. He added that the beer was from his own room, and the sergeant found six other bottles there which defendant said he kept in caso it was wanted for a party. Submission by Counsel

Witness added that in a statement defendant said the beer did not belong to the hotelkeeper, and the sale had been made without his knowledge. "This seems a misguided effort to save the licensee," said counsel, who submitted that it was not a case of slv-grogging, and that the beer really belonged to the licensee.

Evidence was given by defendant, who said he had been discharged as a result of the case. He had gone into the house-bar, which was not locked, and taken four bottles of beer out for the customer, unknown to the licensee and without his authority. He said his statement to the police at the time was not correct, and that the beer was part of the hotel stock.

"A Very Strange Case" In answer to Sub-Inspector Calwell, defendant stated that- he had two other parcels of beer in his room similar to the one ho had sold. These had been in his room for two or three weeks. He had not told the licensee he had pot the beer from the house bar until after he had consulted with his solicitor. "This is a very strange case,'' said the magistrate. "Defendant solemnly declared the beer he sold was his own property, for which ho would bo guilty of .slv-grog selling. He now states that, without the authority of the hotolkoepor, he took four bottles from the house bar and sold them on credit to a man whom he knew only as 'Bob.' " Defendant was fined £ls. A man charged with being on licensed premises after hours was fined £2.

Copies ot photographs taken o.v N** Zealand Heiiaid and The Weekly News staff photographers may be purchaser) from the Pictorial Department third floor, H«RAi.n Buildincs, Telephone 30-078. The price of whole-plate printa is 2/6 each, and half plate 1/0.