HOME-BREWED BEER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22432, 29 November 1934, Page 7

HOME-BREWED BEER

SELLING WITHOUT A LICENSE FINE OF £25 IMPOSED (Pee United Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 28. "The department views this type of offence as very serious/' said the collector of Customs, Mr Paul, in the Petone Court when Arthur Thomas Bird was charged with selling- beer •. without a license and carrying on the trade or business of a brewer, not being the holder of a brewer's license. Bird pleaded guilty. __ Mr Paul stated that Constable Higgins's attention was drawn to the behaviour of two youths. . The two were staggering along the street. One of the youths made a statement that he had bought two bottles o£ home brew at Bird's home. A search warrant was obtained, and in a bedroom of Bird's home 12 quart bottles of home brewwere found. In the washhouse a 15gallon cask of liquor in process of being brewed and 70 empty bottles were found. Bird said he started selling beer because he was, on relief work. The Collector of Customs stated that the home brew contained about 6.3 per cent, of proof spirit, which was about the strength of beer sold by licensed brewers. On the licensing offence (selling beer without a license) Senior Sergeant §ivyer asked for an order for the confiscation of the liquor, to which the magistrate agreed and entered a conviction. On the charge of carrying on the trade or business of a brewer without a lieense the minimum fine of £25 was imposed. Bird was allowed a month in which to pay.