SYDENHAM CLUB MANAGEMENT IMPEACHED

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7264, 21 October 1910, Page 1

SYDENHAM CLUB MANAGEMENT IMPEACHED

MR W. G. RIDDELL'S REPORT

PEESB ASSOCIATION.

CHRISTCHURCH, October 20. The report of Mr Riddell, S.M., tho commissioner appointed to examine into the charges made in connection with • the conduct of the Sydenham "Working- ' Men's Club has been published. The club has arranged for.a deputation cone sisting of Messrs J. Hooper (president), r John Austin (secretary) and J. A. Beattie to wait upon the Minister in Wellington at 11 o'clock on Saturday morning. The report, after setting out the terms 1 of the commission, goes on to deal as | follows with the charges:— - " CARDS FOR DRINKS. : , (1) That it has been the practice of the club to allow cards to be played i for drinks. The weight of evidence supports this 1 charge, and goes to show that when j members play cards tho club practice in for tho loser to pay for drinks, which usually, follow the completion of the game. If no drink is consumed the loser c in many cases hands to the winner a 1 ticket in the form shown in exhibit "C," ■ which entitles him or any holder to drink iu , the club at a later date. Sometimes the winner pays for drinks, but-this is the exception and not the L rule. Sometimes a game is played ivith--5 out its result being followed by, refresh- • menfc. BREACHES OP GAMING ACT. (2) That gambling has been allowed in the club. ; (a) I consider the practice of the loser • in a game of cards paying for drinks or i handing to • the winner a ticket which entitles the holder to a drink at a later date amounts to gambling within tho i meaning of Fuller v. Fouhy, 7' Gazette Law- Reports, 575; (b) There is also evidence to show that . at tho time of the principal race meetings held in Christchurch, viz., Grand National meeting, Now Zealand Cup meeting, and Easter meeting, it has been customary for sorao of the club members to make up and draw sweeps on the result of some race run at each of those meetings. ' The drawing of tho sweeps usually takes place on Sunday morning in tho club's hall. Slips of paper on which are written, the names of .the horses taking part in the last Grand National race meeting' (exhibit "D") and some other slips, on some of which are written tho namos of members of the club (exhibit "E''), were found in the club's hall about tho time of that meeting. The drawing of these sweeps is gambling within the meaning of the Gaming Act, 190 S, and it has been donewith the knowledge of some of the committee of the club. ' LOCKERS ABUSED. (3) That the locker sjstem has been flagrantly abused by the storing on Saturday nights of demijohns of liquor and by excessive drinking frdm these on Sunday. Evidence in. support of this charge ehoivs that there are eighteen ordiaaxy lookers and one large locker on the club's premises; that these lookers either belong to or aro shared by certain mem- . bers of tho club; that the practice is ' for those members to purchase varying quantities of liquor on Saturday nights and place it in their lockers for consumption on. tho following Sunday; that about forty members are to be found at tho club on Sunday mornings and evenings, -and that they consume each Sunday, on an average, about twenty ■gallons of liquor. Some of "these mea \ • have been seen under the influence of liquor on Sundays. I consider the evi- ! dence discloses an a.buse of tbe locker t system by certain sections of the club's . members. At the inquiry almost all tbe ; members and committeemen examined , stated that they were in f-avour of the , abolition of lookers. It is clear that ] they are used for tho benefit of. a small ] .pajt of the club's -members, and the only [ purpose they serve is to encourage drink- i ing on Sunday. PERMITTING DRUNKENNESS. (4) That drunkenness has been permitted on the premises. This charge covers cases of drunkenness which originated on the club's premises as -well as cases where members have come into the club either intori- x eated or under the influence of liquor. Evidence in support of the charge consists of the positive statements of Messrs T Avery, Mayfield and Marsh with regard * to casas of drunkenness -within the club's l premises; the evidence of Mr Badger as to persons leaving the premises in ai i state of intoxication; the evidence of t Chief Custodian Shokman that he has 1 stopped the supply of liquor to as many {, as a dozen men in one week; the evi- , dence cf several members or committee- h men, particularly Mr Manning, who de- n pose to members coming to the club on n Saturday nights under the influence of * liquor, and 'by some means or other ob- ? taming more liquor at the club; the sec-i-etary's letter of September ]6th, 190 S, * to Mr Matthews (exhibit " F") his b letters of May 25th, 1909 (exhibit "G"j «?iL°/ September lgth 19Qg (eshfl)it r Jl ) to Mr Spiers, his letter of April b 27th, 1910 (exhibit "J") to Mr Carev, *■' his letter of April 27th, 1910 (exhibit fl .T ') to Mr W. A. Doherty; seeretarv's S letter of June 9th. 1910, to the chief ens- tl todian (exhibit "K"). calling his atten- tl tion to the fact that liquor had been w supplied to persons in a state of intoxi- ° cation,, and the fact that members and b visitors consume on an average neaTlv L 300 gallons of liquor per week, exclusive d of spirits and. soft drinks. The evidence £ for the clnb consisted of a general denial „ that drunkenness had been permitted on ii the premises and the narration of tbe steps taken by the committee and cus- ftodian to prevent its occurrence. In J my opinion the weight of evidence sup- fi ports the charge and goes to show that besides offenders dealt with" by the com- o miftec there must have been a jrreat number of cases that, have never come £!

BREACHES OF THE LAW AND INEFFICIENT SUPERVISION

" CONSIDERABLE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT."

under their notice or been reported by the custodians.

.SUNDAY TRADING NOT PROVED. (5) That liquor has been sold over the bar on Sunday. The petitioners failed to prove this charge.

NO UNDUE BAD LANGUAGE,

(6) That bad language has been used in ' the club

i- Tho only complaint against members for this offence wins made by Mr Cray, who lives next door to the club's prelS mises. He complained on two occasions tS —once to Mie president, who had the matter investigated; the other complaint was made to the police, but no court proceedings followed. The second complaint was made nearly a 3'ear ago. S The. language complained of was heard a at night in a right-of-way between the club and Gray's house, and he stated b that he had. been annoyed by hearing a bail language on a number of occasions in this right-of-way. There is presumpc tion that the language complained of "was a used by members of. or visitors to the c club, but the offenders were not identified r hy Gray as being either members or a visitors. It is admitted that bad language has been used in. the club, but 0 not more than is usual among a large :■ body of men such as are members of this i, or sunilar clubs. Members of the come inittee say that cases of bad language - aro dealt with either by reprimand or .- suspension, and the secretary's letters of the 25th May. 1909. and Ist September, 1909, to one Spiers (copies of which aro attached to the evidence as exhibits 1 "G" and " H ") indicate the method of dealing with such offenders. On the whole, I am not prepared to say that the r offence is one raf more than ordinary r occurrence. J LAXITY OF MANAGEMENT. 0 (7) That the management of the club B generally has been "bad. I think the findings on the chaTges of t card-playing for drinks, gambling, dran- " kenness on the club's premises, and 1 abuse of the locker system are sufficient- ? to show that there is considerable room, i for improvement in the management of s the club. The evidenco points to'tho - fact that the committee have no systeme atic method of supervision over members, 5 and that many cases of breaches of tho r rules are -unreported, and, consequently l not dealt with. That they have acted in 3 a nnnnber of instances -during the last I two years is evident from the secretary's ) letters (exhibit "L") to various members i over and above those specially referred f to. The unpleasant duties which neces- ! 6arily fall to tliß lot of committeemen t in the course of management do not 5 seem to have been equally shouldered , by these officers. Some say they have ) s-een anjd heard members committing . breaches of the rules on a number of occasions, but have 1 seldom checked or reported .offenders. One member stated that ho considered this work should be I I carried out by the custodian, but in a , number of instances there has been, p failure on the part of tho custodians to | canry out" this branch of their duty. This is seen from the seeretarv's letter of November 10th, 1909, to second .cue-' 1 todian; ("M"), reprimanding him for failure to report a disturbance, and > from tbe secretary's letter of June 9th, 1910, to the chief custodian (exhibit "K"), calling attention to the custodian's . 'neglect of duty in. serving intoxicated ■ persons.' Further evidence is found in the statement of Manning, -who says that custodians have often been reprimanded for- neglect of duty. Tt may be assumed with some certainty that if the cases of misconduct referred to in the secretary's letter have been reported and dealt -with in two years, a considerable number of offenders must have escaped correction. The laxity of system is also seen from a perusal of the visitors' book. The rules provide that each visitor to the club must sign the visitors' book, ' as must also tho member introducing him, but it would -be safe to say that fully one-half of the visitors to the clnb enter and leave without signing. As a record of visitors the book is incom- . plete and of little value. ; The full evidence taken at the inquiry is appended to the report. .