REVELRY IN A " BATCH."

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7263, 20 October 1910, Page 1

REVELRY IN A " BATCH."

BREAKING PROHIBITION ORDERS. PRESS ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH. October 19. 'Sotns weeks ago\a number of charges against prohibited persons of procuring liquor wore dealt with, at Lyttelton by Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., who inflicted substantial penalties and made strong comment on the practice which prevailed in Lyttelton of treating prohibition orders with contempt. • On Saturday night the police visited a "batch" in Lyttelton and caught five young men, two of whom were prohibited, in tho act of drinking, informations were laid against thorn nil, and they appeared before Mr Bishop this inprmng. Henry Thomas Mitcheli was charged with procuring liquor during the currency of a‘ pronibitten order. Mr Bunt appeared for accused, who pleaded "Not Guilty.” Sergeant Ryan stated that at 10 p.ra. on Saturday he visited a "batch" ,iu company with Constable Richardson. They looked'in through a window and saw Mitchell handing out glasses of beer to his companions. One of them declined a glar-s, which Mitchell drank himself. On entering the room witness found Giilard and a man named Bamford, whose prohibition cider had ouJ'y expired that day, both drunk. Constable Richardson gave corroborative evidence. DISGRACE TO THE COMMUNITY. Hunt was about to put Mitchell into tiie witness-box when Mr Bishop interposed with the remark that he would not accept tho word of a prohibited person -against the evidence of respectable pohco officers. Accused had already been convicted for drunkenness, for obscene language, and, a few weeks ago, for a breach of his prohibition order. Accused seemed to have lost his self-respect and uny respect for tho laws of the country. It was an absolute disgrace to the community of Lyttelton that prohibition •orders should be treated with such contempt, and that there should be persons ready to pander to tho tastes of these prohibited persons. He was not going i to waste his breath on them any longer. If accused came befoi'e him again ho 1 •would deal with him under the Reformatory Institutions Act, and would send him up to Pakatoa for two years of reformatory treatment. On tho present charge* accused would be fined j£s, in default one month’s imprisonment. William Patrick Loader* pleaded guilty to a similar charge. “I .am going to break the back of this business. I will not have these orders treated with contempt and broken in this manner/* said Air Bishon. Accused was fined 10s, in default forty-eight hours’ imprisonment. ! Henry Bamford, Oswald Abbott, and Bdward Giilard were then charged with assisting Mitchell and Loader, prohibited persons, to drink liquor. Sergeant Ryan sa id that Bam ford’s order had only expired cm Saturday, and ho had nt once laid, in a stock of liquor, Air Bishop.said that Bamford had a shockingly bad record and had already been befor'o the court throe times tills •year. Ho must take out another pro--hibition order against himself, or ho would lie sent up to Pakatoa, He would be fined 40s, in default one month’s imprisonment. Abbott had previously been convicted for a breach of the peace, and Air Bishop remarked that he seemed to be starting out on a new* line. He was fined IQs, in default forty-eight hours’ imprisonment. Giilard, who was decj'wibed by Sergeant Ryan as being one of those who made a practice of procuring liciuor for prohibited persons, was fined IQs. in default forty-eight hours* imprisonment. A TEAK AT PAKATOA. Frank Gallagher, on remand, was charged-with procuring liquor ■ during

the currency of a prohibition order against him. Accused had been fined the previous day for being drunk while in charge of a horse and cart. Mr Hunt, who appeared for accused, asked Air Bishop not to commit him under the Reformatory Institutions Act, as accused bad arranged to sell out and go to tho King Country, whore he had taken a farm. Air Bishop said ho would show no weakness. Accused had already been convicted eight times this year, and ho would bo convicted and sent to Pakatoa for twelve ihonths for treatment as an habitual d-r'unkacrd. At a later stage Air Hunt asked the magistrate to suspend judgment long enough to enable accused to complete his business arrangements. Air Bishop said ho would cancel lus judgment ami cider accused to came up again at Christchurch on Thursday. 2Tth instant, for sentence, when ho would order him to be sent to Pakatoa lot twelve months.