HOTEL LICENSEE'S DIFFICULTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3313, 12 September 1917, Page 24

HOTEL LICENSEE'S DIFFICULTIES.

MINERS TAKE POSSESSION. At the Queenstown Police Court on Saturday, before Mr G. Cruicksha.uk, S.M., James Christie Knowles, licensee of the Glenorchy Hotel, Lako Wakatipu, was charged with having- his premises open on Sunday, September 5. He was also charged with "treating." Defendant pleaded "Guilty" to both charges. Inspector Fouhy sajd that the statements of witnesses, as obtained by Constable Rowe, disclosed a bad state of affairs. A number of miners from Paradise paid their monthly visit to the hotel with tiheilr cheques. The hotel door was never closed from Saturday night until well into Sunday morning, and even on Sunday afternoon drink was exposed for sale and sold. A number of drunken men were seen leaving the premises. Games of "forty-fives'' were played in the premises, and treating was also' permitted. The only tiling he (the Inspector) could say in favour of the licensee was that he was a statutory firstoffender, and during the past five years no complaints had been made against his hotel. Mr Wesley Turton, for the ...defence, pleaded for leniency, stating that when a number of miners oame to a hotel at a place like Glenorrhy they usually took charge of the place, as there were no police at band. Mr Knowles had had his hotel in the market for sale for the past six months. He (Mr Turton) asiked his Worship not to endorse the license. His Worship said he looked upon both cases as serious, but, considering what Mr Turton had said, that there_ had been no endorsement, nor any complaint against the house for the past five years; also, that, as no doubt the licensee had a good deal to contend with by miners coming from a distance, he would not endorse the license. But on the charge of keeping open on Sunday defendant would be fined £lO, the maximum penalty, and for the breach of the War Regulation? (permitting treating) he would bo fined £3O, with costs in each case. Alternative informations were withdrawn by the police.