LIQUOR AFTER HOURS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 61

LIQUOR AFTER HOURS.

YOUNG MEN FOUND IN HOTEL. LICENSEE AND BARMAN CONVICTED. As a result of a visit by Sergeant M'Carthy and a constable to the upstairs bar of the Excelsior Hotel about 9.30 on the evening of Februaiy 17 ; Victor Stanley Connolly, Patrick Lauren, and James Albert Renwick, all of whom gave their ages as under 21 years, appeared before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M., at tb e City Police Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to having been found on licensed premises after hours. Three ■ other men—James Moynihan, John Matthew M'llroy, and Edwin Prebble—who were on the.premises at the same time, did not appear and were similarly charged. In connection with these cases, a barman at the hotel, William Reid, was charged with, being a person other than the licensee, having supplied liquor after hours and with supplying intoxicating liquor to persons under 21 years of age. Charges of exposing liquor for sale after hours and supplying persons under the age of 21 years with intoxicating liquor were also brought against the licensee, John Trengrove. .Sub-inspector Fahey said that on the night of February 17' Sergeant M’Carthy, accompanied by a constable, visited the upstairs bar of the Excelsior Hotel, where he found the six defendants. Connolly, Lauren, and Renwick were together at one end of the bar, and the other three a little further down. The first three defendants admitted having been served with drink, and although when the sergeant arrived Prebble, Moynihan, and M Ilroy had had nothing; they told the sergeant they were there for the purpose of buying a dnnk. The sergeant had his suspicions m regard to the ages of the three youngest defendants, who, on being questioned, admitted they were' under 21. Sergeant M Carthy corroborated the subinspector s evidence.

i ßei - d ’ the barman > pleaded guilty to having supplied liquor after hours, but entered a plea of not guilty the . charge °f supplying intoxicating liquor to a person under th e age of 21 years. M j. M . Pat erso n . who ap peared for Reid said that the latter had never given a thought to the ages of the "J ;joi qUeStl °r ’ ? nd he had known that t them had ,> “ n In evidence, the defendant stated that on the night in question the licensee had gone out leaving strict instructions that lie was not to serve' anyone but boarders, and then only in their rooms. Lauren Connolly, and Renwick had asked, for him, and on his going to the house bar. he found one of them in the bar and the other two at the door. At first he refused to serve them, but, as ho knew Connolly, he eventually consented. In reply to a question by Sub-inspector Fahey, the defendant said he would consider all three were over 21 years of age. In the case of Moynihan, M'llroy, and Prebble, there was no time to serve them with a drink, as the sergeant and the constable came in soon after them. On behalf of the licensee, Mr B. S. Irwin said that on the night in question he (Trengrove) had gone tQ St. Clair with his children, and before going had left instructions that no one, excepting boarders, were to be served. He therefore was hardly responsible for the supP]y of liquor to youths; nor, in view of his instructions to the barman was he directly responsible for the supply of liquor.

His Worship, in dealing with Reid’s eases, said he did not think that the defendant had taken steps to find out the ages of the three youths. There may have been some excuse in the case of Renwick and Connolly; charges in respect of these two would, therefore, be dismissed, and the defendant would be convicted and fined 40s and costs (10s) it regard to Lauren." For supplying liquor he would be fined 20s and costs (10s).

“In regard to the licensee,” said his Worship, “when he delegates his responsibility to anyone else, he should be careful to do so to a suitable person.” A conviction was entered on the charge of supplying liquor to persons under the age of 21 years, and a fine of 40s and costs (10s) imposed on the second charge.