SLY GROG CASES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24537, 20 March 1943, Page 8

SLY GROG CASES

FIKM FINED £SO ] GAOL FOR MEN AND WOMEN Five person.-, and one firm were charged before Mr. J. H. Luxford, S.M., yesterday, with selling liquor without .'i licence. All pleaded guilty. Evidence was given by two policewomen in a case in which A. A. Corban and Sons, Limited, and a former employee, Evelyn Thome, were charged. Mr. Goldstine appeared for the defendants. Constables Lillian JJrockett and Margaret Holder said they had bought a bottle of sherry for 7s 1(1, a bottle of wine for 6s 6d, and a bottle of whisky for £3 from the defendant Thome at Corbans' premises. Corban was not there at the time and they admitted that Thorno had said she could not sell less than two gallons of wine at a time. Constable Brockett admitted saying that the Americans had been able to buy it and that she wanted it for an American friend whose name she invented. The defendant Thorne had remarked that they did not look like policewomen but she did not ask if they were. Evidence of Policewomen Mr. Goldstine said that although Corban had not been on the premises his absence of knowledge was no legal defence and he was liable for what his employee had done. Thorne was no longer employed by Corban. 'lhe firm, which received the first wine-maker s licence 41 years ago, had an unblemished record. There was no occasion for the firm to resort to sly-grog selling as it had been forced to ration supplies to its regular customers. The usual price for whisky there was 19s 6cl or ,Cl, but Thorne had apparently sold it for £3. Thorne had at first refused to sell the liquor to the women, but after about four or five requests lrom them gave in. There was a large notice stating that wine could be bought only in lots of two gallons or more. The magistrate said the policewomen had faced a cross-examination regarding malpractice without a flinch and had come out unscathed and had increased the confidence of the Court in them. They had fulfilled the police tradition in'the way they had carried out the unpleasant task of obtaining evidence. "It shows the deterioration in the moral fibre of the country that it should have affected an old firm such as this," said the magistrate. Their hearts had become softened and they had taken part in the indiscriminate sale of liquor. They had reduced themselves to the level of sly-groggers. The evidence showed a looseness in control. The firm was' fined £SO and Thorne was fined £5 * Liquor Forfeited Evidence was given by a constable that he had purchased a bottle of gin for £3 from defendant at her house at 100 Nelson Street when Hilda Thompson (Mr. Dickson), pleaded guilty to selling liquor without a licence, having once been previously convicted of a similar offence. Defendant claimed that 13 bottles of whisky, four of gin, one of brandy, four bottles of liqueurs, 12 of port, lO of sherry, five of wine and three of stout, which had been seized, belonged to a man, said Sub-Inspector Macnamara, but the man had denied ownership. "It is just n blatant case after the previous conviction," said the magistrate. It was all very well talking contritely about not doing it again, but defendant had had that opportunity the first time. She would be sentenced to three months' imprisonment and the liquor would be forfeited for sale. Caroline Duggan, aged 51 (Mr. Schramm) admitted selling 12 bottles of beer to a constable for 80s. Mr. Schramm said she would never again sell liquor. v Remarking that the practice of inflicting fines on females had to stop, the magistrate said that if sly-groggers thought women would get off with fines they would be the principals and they would let the women come to Court. A sentence of one month's imprisonment was imposed "Penalties inadequate" When Alfred S. Jackson (Mr. Sullivan) pleaded guilty to selling liquor without a licence, the magistrate remarked that the penalties were totally inadequate and unless there were special mitigating circumstances the maximum penalties would be imposed in all cases. A sentence of one month's imprisonment was passed. • " Following a complaint from a civilian that he had seen defendant sell a bottle of brandy in a city hotel for 20 dollars, Thomas Joseph Coughlan, labourer, aged 28, appeared on a charge of selling liquor without a licence. Defendant, who pleaded guilty, said that another person had got the money and he. had received nothing f®v. the sale. Remarking that defendant was actually a bootlegger's tout, the magistrate said he did not think that he was doing it for the good of his health. Defendant was sentenced to one month's imprisonment MANPOWER CHARGE Charged with failing to comply with a direction to return to her essential employment with Alex Harvey and Sons, Limited, Opal Kelly pleaded guilty before Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., yesterday. Defendant was fined £1 10s. ORDERS REVOKED (0.C.) WELLINGTON, Friday The Attorney-General, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, this week revoked orders issued by him on May 12, 1942, prohibiting the publication of the periodical Democracy and "prohibiting the j editor, Mr. John Hogan, from publish- ! itig or being connected with the publication of any periodical in New Zealand. FACTORY PLANNED The purchase of a vacant site at the intersection of Cook and Vincent Streets was concluded this week by Childswear, Limited, which intends to erect a modern factory for the manu- J factyre of all kinds of children's cloth- ' ing other than knitwear. The factory | will be initially of one and a-halfj .storeys, with a floor area of 30,000 square feet, and will accommodate 300 to 350 hands. Provision is being made for the addition of up to three extra storeys if required later. The company, which began operations on n small scale in Auckland two and a-half years ago, at present occupies premises in Grey's Avenue and employs 125 hands.