PORT CHALMERS NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23517, 4 June 1938, Page 2

PORT CHALMERS NEWS

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

A sitting of the Port Chalmers Magistrate’s Court was held yesterday before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.

VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR Charles John Smith pleaded guilty to a charge of violent and offensive behaviour in a railway carriage.— Sergeant O’Shea said there had been a dispute between the defendant and another man over a packet of cigarettes, and the defendant had lost his temper and struck the other man on the eye. Smith said the whole thing had started as a joke, and there had been nothing more in it. He and the other man had had a tussle, but they had been only “ acting the goat.”—ln answer to the magistrate, the defendant said he was unemployed. His Worship said he would have taken a very different view of the matter had there been other people in the carriage. Such conduct could not be tolerated by the travelling public. In the circumstances, he would take a lenient view of the matter. The defendant would be fined 10s and costs (£1 2s). LICENSING CHARGES David Alexander Wilkie Middleton, licensee of the George Hotel, for whom Mr J. Lang appeared, was charged with 1 selling liquor after hours. He pleaded guilty. David Alexander Love, Allan McDowell and James Herbert Perry were charged with being unlawfully on licensed premises after hours. Sergeant O’Shea said the George Hotel had been visited by the police on the evening of the offence and they had found the three young men in the bar. There wes evidence that liquor was being consumed.

Mr Lan? said the men had come in to see the licensee, and had he not been in the bar at the time the business would in all probability have been transacted elsewhere, without the commission of an offence.

The magistrate said he would not endorse Middleton’s licence on this occasion, but if there were any repetition of the offence that would be done. He would be fined £5 and costs (10s), on the first charge, and the other, which was really an alternative charge, would be struck out. Love, McDowell and Perry were each fined 10s and costs (10s). LICENSING COMMITTEE The annual meeting of the Chalmers Licensing Committee—Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. (chairman) and Messrs E. H. Cook, E. B. Wilson, T, Anderson, T. Scollay and J. Morgan—was held yesterday at Port Chalmers. The chairman said the reports from the police and the health officer were, on the whole, satisfactory and all requirements had been complied with. The conduct of the hotels generally had been good, but there were one or two cases in which a further improvement was required. LICENSEE WARNED

In connection with the application of Albert Thomas Ross for renewal of a publican’s licence for the White House Hotel, Henley, Inspector E. C. Roach said there had been one conviction against the applicant for selling liquor after hours, and there had been several complaints that' the conduct of the hotel was not all that could be desired. The hotel was removed from active police supervision and if the licensee did not effect some improvement in regard to after-hours trading something serious was likely to happen. A large number of motorists called at the betel and he considered that the licensee’s attention should be called by the committee to the position. The chairman said that apart from what had been put forward by the inspector, it was the intention of the committee to issue a warning to the licensee. The latter was the owner of the premises and consequently had much more at stake than if he were only the licensee. The committee realised that this was a difficult hotel to run, but that merely meant that the licensee should be all the more careful in his conduct of the hotel. He could expect no consideration if he came before the court after the issue of this warning. The application would be granted. OBJECTION BY POLICE

Application was made for a permanent transfer of the licence of Chick’s Hotel, Port Chalmers, from Eveline Lucy Quin and Kathleen Hannon to Anne Maria White, who also applied for the issue of a publican’s licence. Objection was lodged by the police on the grounds that the building was in a bad state structurally. The chairman said the objection was couched in very general terms, which indicated little to the committee. . . Inspector Roach said the principal reason for the objection was the dangerous state of the kitchen. Evidence would be called to show the condition of the building. Evidence was given by Inspector Barrett, of the Health Department, and Sergeant O’Shea. Mr J. Lang, who appeared for the owners of the building, said he had had no indication of this matter until that morning. He would undertake, however, to see that necessary repairs were effected before the expiry of the existing lease in August. On this understanding, the applications were granted. PERMANENT TRANSFERS

Applications for the permanent transfer of the Provincial Hotel, Port Chalmers, from Robert Bews to Robert Arnott, and for the permanent transfer of the Royal Hotel, Green Island, formerly the Green Island - Hotel, from John Arthur Beale to Leslie Zetland Griffin were granted. ISSUE OF LICENCES

The applications of Robert Arnott, Provincial Hotel, Port Chalmers, Leslie Zetland Griffin, Royal Hotel, Green Island, and John Patrick O’Brien. Mosgiel Hotel, Mosgiel, for the issue of publicans’ licences were granted. RENEWALS GRANTED

Renewal of publicans’ licences were granted to the following applicants:—Archibald Macdonald, Port Chalmers Hotel, Port Chalmers; Frederick George Carter, Marine Hotel, Port Chalmers; David Alexander Wilkie Middleton, George Hotel, Port Chalmers, John O’Driscoll, Crescent Hotel, Carey’s Bay; Francis Ruck, Portobello Hotel. Portobello; Francis Edward Denys Davy, Commercial Hotel, Green Island, William Henry Knott, Railway Hotel, Mosgiel; George Francis Ayson Outram Hotel, Outram; Albert Sidney Buddicom. Terminus Hotel. Outram. ACCOMMODATION LICENCE Eugene Robert Smith’s application for renewal of an accommodation licence in respect of the Lee Stream Hotel, Lee Stream, was granted.