THIRTY CONVICTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26916, 30 October 1948, Page 9

THIRTY CONVICTED

RAID ON MOSGIEL HOTEL

AFTER-HOURS TRADING

A raid by a party of police from Dunedin on the Mosgiel Hotel at 8-30 p.m. on September 24, the night before a race meeting at Wingatui, led to the conviction of the licensee, two barmen, and 27 patroijs by Mr A. E. Dobbie, S.M., m the Mosgiel Police Court yesterday. The licensee John Ross (Mr A. G. Neill), was fined £l2, with costs (10s), and the barmen. Wallace Northcote and Brian Ludlow, were each fined £5 and costs (10s) for selling liquor after hours. Offenders fined £1 and costs (10s) lor being on licensed premises after hours were; Douglas Brensell, Leonarde Blaikie, Leslie Bernard, Eric Brown, Henry Witson Brown, Jack Dooley, John Ellis, David Gilmore Thomas Hall, Ray Hinton, William Harper Douglas James, Douglas Massey, Alexander McEwan, James Ritchie, Bernard Shand, Albert Scott, Robert Wilson, Frank Trailford, Andrew Sinclair Sutherland, Duncan William Rout, Edward William Pauline. Gordon Hetherington, Francis Cornelius, Edward Carew, and William Blair Allen. Thomas Dee was convicted and discharged on a similar charge. This was a particularly bad case, commented Senior Sergeant D. Vaughan, who prosecuted. “As the defendant licensee has recently been fined for a similar offence, I would request a heavy penalty,” he said.

Obviously the people found in the hotel had good reason to be there, said Mr Neill. There was no provision for people at Wingatui to get liquor in the day-time. “ If they don’t go to the hotel they don’t get drink; if they do go, they get caught,” he remarked. “ I must take into account this man’s previous conviction,” said the magistrate, in imposing the penalties.