"STILL GOING WRONG !"

NZ Truth, Issue 1147, 24 November 1927, Page 10

"STILL GOING WRONG !"

Two Year?' Labor On Scheme For Manufacturing Whisky ■/ PROMOTERS' PREMISES RAIDED

■■;.■, v ■ • ■••: ■ ' ■••-'■• '•■• . (Prom ./N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.)

It may have been the advent of spirit measures m hotel bars or the many brands of inferior whiskies that decorate the shelves of certain hostels that decided too Auckland citizens to try their hands at distilling j whisky. At any rate, they tackled the idea with determination and zeal. ,

WITH the popular trade slogan: "Still going strong," as a working • maxim, 'they toiled Industriously .during ,their leisure hours m the manufacture .of .a .still. '■<■■'• .. . ■ 'Evenings and week-ends were devoted to its construction, as would only be warranted by a fascinating hobby. Unfortunately for both of them, their enterprise was "nippe^J' by the interference of. thOi. police, who promptly seized the plant just as it gave promise of -pouring forth its gladdening and heart-warming reward. v '/ There^ Is' a dlscouriißlng feature about dletHnhg v whFsky In a country. like <r New Zealand. The trouble 'arises In the [form of telltalearoma when the "brevy" is on. Whether it was this which put the police on the scent cannot be. said, but they got "wind" of the little project and made a raid on premises m St. Luke's Street, Mount- Albert, occupied by John McSweeney. Consequently McSweeney ,and his confederate, . John ; Newman Lyons, made their appearance at the Auckland Police Court m the presence of a' crowd of Interested spectators. McSweeney was charged with having been m possession of an unlicensed still,' while Lyons was connected with . the offence m having supplied the apparatus.- , : - „\ Describing what.had been discovered •by the police, Crown? Prosecutor Hubble stated that beneath some sacks there were found the complete parts of a fairly large-sized whisky still. It was apparent that McSweeney kept and worked the plant, while Lyons, who was a tinsmith m 'the employ of a., well-known Newmarket flraa, had •vldently been Instrumental

m supplying tha materials for Its conr struction. ...,-,'■■ There was evidence of some whisky having been made," stated the Cr6wr> Prosecutor, "but It could not- be said that any had been disposed of, The apparatus had been tried out and was found to be m full working,; order." ' Counsel pointed out to Magistrate McKean that the penalty provided for such offences waß laid down at £60 the minimum and £600 the maximum. Lawyer Allan Moody appeared for McSweeney, who, he said, was a "storeman employed by a shipping company. "The still," 'declared the .lawyer, "was still m Its experimental .stage and not at its full capacity, as there was something wrong withit". . ; It was a "labor of. love," -"continued counsel, and had taken up their spare 'time for about twb years. . He asked that under the circumstances the fine might be 'fixed, at a sum of £26. ■ -.-'', ■''.,'■' For Lyons, Lawyer Flhlay ' explained that the whisky still emanated from an original Interest m a milk-cooling scheme. Having conceived the idea of making whisky, the defendants transferred the construction of the apparatus to that of a whisky still. Crown Prosecutor Hubble: "If they had opened a dairy for the. sale of milk from this apparatus, it would have been very popular." (Laughter). Remarking that a severe penalty would have been inflicted if there had been evidence of any sales, his worship' Imposed a fine of £25 m eaoh case; m default two ai?||^ r ißPffll^mmti i