CONDUCT OF HOTELS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23364, 2 December 1937, Page 8

CONDUCT OF HOTELS

AUCKLAND LICENSEES WARNED COMPLAINTS OF DISORDERLINESS WOMEN ENCOURAGED TO DRINK / (Special to Daily Times) AUCKLAND, Dec. 1. A warning to hotelkeepers that the ;committee had received comSlaiiits from the police and from the Tew. Zealand Alliance with respect to women drinking in hotels generally and of disorderliness in some particular hotels, was issued by Mr W. R. McKean, S.M., as chairman of the Auckland City Licensing Committee at that body’s quarterly meeting. "There is nothing in the law to prevent women drinking in hotels,” Mr McKean said, "but the committee takes this opportunity to notify licensees that it expects them to conduct their hotels in a proper manlier.” , Reference was made to the fact that women were to be found in considerable numbers in certain lounges. So far as the law was concerned, the chairman said, there was nothing to prevent women from going Into hotels and drinking, but the committee certainly did not approve of the conduct of certain licensees, who,-perhaps, encouraged that sort of thing.

A letter had been received from the New Zealand Alliance, alleging that ''after-hours trading was rampant'in Auckland, the chairman added. Such letters were of little use unless the persons concerned were prepared to assist the police by giving evidence, thus enabling them to secure convictions. Something more practical than letters of complaint was required. It might be true that there were cases in which liquor had been seen being taken from hotels after hours. In cases of this kind the present state of the licensing law made it,. difficult to secure a conviction, by reason of the fact that it was no offence to take away after hours liquor which had been purchased within legal hours. He said he thought there should be legislation to prevent liquor being taken away after hours in any circumstances. It was common _ knowledge, Mr McKean said, that" women nowadays were more inclined to drink in hotels than in former days, and they had an equal right with men to do so. The committee, however, did insist that licensees should preserve order on their premises.