LICENSING LAWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13393, 29 May 1914, Page 4

LICENSING LAWS.

NATIVES'.' IX PROHIBITION AREA.

-\t the Police Court to-day, beforMr W. A. Barton, 5.M... John Humphreys (Mr Jj. -T. Burriard)' pleaded no. guilty to a charge tliat lie did, on Maj .B,' at Matawbefo, m a district m M*hioh liquor phalli not be suppliejd to natives, supply liqubr to' one 'Hiririi Rangi. Hirini Ngarangi deposed thai lie saw defendant a:t t&j Bridge '•■ hotol, about 7.30 p.ni. on May 8. : Defendant wa*. opposite the niiddJo d°°r and -.not at tin bar door. Witness di 4 not see Con. stable Maloney at the time, but as In was mounting his horse the ctmstab'k game up to him,' and took from witness three bottles of whisky (produced) Defendant gave him the bottles to .taki home' for the, two of the.ni. 'llie Ti Arai river divided their homes." Witness was outside ' tlife 'hotel when defendant gave, them to liim. His Worship *.' Had - j?ou asked defendant to get them for you? — He knew me, and he gave them^to hie. Did you ask him to bay them foi you,?-- -No, Ybii fare quite -sure defendant gave them to you ?— Yes.

• Witness said this Avas the first time defendant h^d' given liim liquor. • Defendant said, Avhen 'handing him tlie three '^bottles, -'takes these .- home foi iis." 1 Witness did' riot pay hup 1 anything. --.■-.'"'-*'*'

•Sfcii.ior-Se.rgt-. Huttoii: Did you hot .pay -him £JL? "'"Mr Burriard objected, to the question, as it waW a leading one. • To Mr Bitrnard> The idea >as that they should consume the whisky at witness' pla<ce. Witness lived- $t a kai.nga. Defendant liyed the^re, . ipQ. Since ty&y Bth -he had'moVecf to fNgatapa. ' De^ertdarit had not' visited 'witness' house during the past three months. |Se had been there rssopie^iines, but witness could not remember " when . '" •■•_■•■

Mr ■ Burnard : You, I suppose, had been drinkilig-that day?— No/ ' . Had.ybu riot called' m at the hotel at ajl that day?— No^' ;..-'. -A '

"-And) you say defendant g^iye you these -bottles without an jr payment, for tnVpurpdsfe. of ''drinking 1 -Them*-' together? — That is What li s&yL ■'■■*•- l *' ' '•■•'' '■'"":■

- Was- defendant sbber wheii he made this lejitraordi.riary gift to y;ou.?— -He was di^iik; f '. ' 'f ; Yoli knew'he was drunk?— He was not very drunk ; hie, kriew what" he was doing. *

\ Did you not take these bottle^ from the man without making him ' any gift at all ? Did you riot take them from' A drunken irian ? — No, he gave them to me.

Are you m the habit of getting gifts of liquor froih' nieii without paying for it,? — 1 rifever got 'bbttleS,' 1 but I accepted sho.utsfrojtn Maoris; or Europeaijs. His Worship* Not an- uncomnion occurrence.

To S'eiiior-Sergt. Hutton : The bottles Constable Maloney took from witiiess were the jsame that defendant gave

'Edward Law, licensee of the Bridge hotel, deposed that lie had Seen defendant at his hotel m the nioiiiing arid evening m question. : Defendant oought two bottles of Waik^rV whisky. Ait the time of purchasing the booties defendant said he wanted to' • take the whisky to Ngatapa.. About 7 pirn, witness heard Constable Maloney say to defendant, "you" gave this, native some whisky!". Deferidaiit said, *.'ljb's a. fake charge — I have hot seen the native." •Witness ha : drefiised defendant "liquor, as he was under the influence of drink.

To Mr Burnard: Defendant did not have any whisky, and .when witness asked him where he had put tlie two bottles he said he did not know. !

Constable" Maloney said' he Was at the Bridge hoteL on the evening of ,May 8. He saw Hiiini Rajigi at tjhe hotel, -and he noticed somethfiug bulky "m his pockets'. \ When the -native- saw .'witness he got behind his horse. Witness felt Rapgi's pockets, aiid took \Ottt two bottles of .whisky. The constable took Rangi into the hotel,'- and 'he pointed put defendant as the man 'who hud given him the whisky. He told tlhe Maori to stand m tlie office... There was no ligh,t m the oihfcej .and as he went o'.ul' 'iie heard a bottlo bump on .the floor. -Oil inaking, investigations ihe 'saw Rangi witli St bottltb <_»f whisky m his;- hand. When he accused defendant' 'of giving the r na;tivo threeV bottles of whisky, • defendant said,, "I did: not," Rangi' said defendant did give him ,t'he whisky! Defendant said, ''It's a'— lie ; it's a: false ■ o'Katige.' ,r '. Defendant resided at Manutuke. ' Witness; had frequently seen hini at •- M-uuitUjke and MatowheroV "' ... '..,-

Td ■'•Mr-"-" Burnard: Defendant had been working, at Ngatapa. a*#dently. '".'""- --. This, closed the. prosecution. 4 '■*' /M^r" . B,ijii*n^i*d swd h$ had psyey heard a more 'absurd atOry.- . The only evidence" for the polic^ was tine stjoi-y of a natiye, who was'tinsupportedyaiid who admitted that he waa m ?;th*s htKbi.t of fre^ d.vfnks. ' Defendajoit wsg m ttiuadled statfe.'aiid the put oA' tlie c6a<jli ' thai day. R^bei-t McWhiKter' barnian 'i(t filie Bridge hotel- swd. he did-r not 'supply defendant with any whisky. He was m the bar all/day, except *wihen v relieved for &, few minutes by Mr Unv. -y A <- ■ l*ai;ri^. p.9V&p , -a- - a,t Ngatapa, , testified ''tliat, %A carnie ouj; jfjoj^ town on M&f' B 'in *GrfeaVeV coach/ ~\ *Tsi'ey reacKed the Bridge hbfcel aboiit 6*p.m. or' ; 7 p.mi - , Defendant gavfe.i^ithess' two;bottles of vybis^yj fi t^cli he; .t^c tp Ngatapa witjh/ him, and it w;as consumed before'lO that' night. l^iere'Vere' three of them . '• Defendant wae/ not ' preserit. Senior-Sergeant Hutton: Do you .often consume, .\rjiisky f^hat is given to to: jlook , aftei* .?-- Witney ; • Ji was given : 'to 'Ac to^lodk "aftei% and I tihouglit !• could have tt* drtlik. '-■■ ■"'"'•' ■ , Defe^dijyat -^aijl ijKe- had had a -good' deal of drink, to\ya^dit.....^he : -evening :Of. •Slay-. 8. He* did A^V jiaye Very. n}_ajiy ; drinks; he was' *ftof"'feelmg VellV 'lis had no r^ollec;tiwi -of seeing the native t^t-ally . coacli, ari*i.ved the hotel he 'was Yei v y nearly " sober. "' ■ , He had; arranged itO'^phrclfrf^-' two bottles of iwhi9kyto>isen4 tofhis camp;' - He did ,iiot>- -have <yiy.s intention .of giving the 'Maori drinks and ''injection' 06 drinking w|th ihe 'Staori.- 'He ' (tlSfendant) g^ye .phg ,wh).s^y i,to ' ..*w^.q took it and put, it on r the coaclv. which ■ ' a\\'a'y immediately afterwards. A,t that tiriio "he was' ."ftJber, hut' he became

intoxicated .-lateu; -fin'. t9ie cvjening'. / j 10, llut^toiv; H^ had resided ' at Sl'annjiiike. for, "six years, but fW the last Tix nibn'tli's had' been working on the railway/ 'He kne-w the •Maori, lmt : he had«, ne.verihad a . conversation - jyltjifhiniv . )Ie rememlieied fjthe cpirstabJe, 'bvii" , "',d/d liot/see" tJbe Maori. jfe fvsas angry at* being chai'ged, and slud/it fwaa a false: .'charge. fHe considled tlie cpaph. .arrived 'at about ' 5 pirn/ or 0.30'p,ni.-. • • iTo 'His' 'Worship: . He bought the whiskj* some time- "afte'rV 4* : 'p.m\,' ; aiid bought -only two. battles. ' '-'His; Worship, said ' Jie .did not tliinlw there was sun^cient' evidence to suippovt the oharjre. ! The 'only: evidence was tliat of *ll(angi, but Jpoking; at all the circumstances, he d^d .upt .^V? k -* fipWP was srttKcierit, to '--\yaiTant -hih\-_ recording, a conviction, 'att hough" Chere Mas' A 'good deaUof suspicion. The information ' Was dismissed.* ■-•;'"■•-".• -'-' ; ' •■ '::y ":"'* At the conchuiioji of , the case SeniorSergeant Hiitton " asked for an order m jespeot to ,tibe li.quOif. * ''Better deatroy it, I -think," -remaned. h,i P Wpi;&lii|% Sen,iorT»ergeant Hi^tov sii^ested send ; ing it to tlie hospital, and 'his Worship, being assured'; that it Was' fit for suoli an ins,titU'Lipn, „gf»ye- .aiv- 9,r.der .to that effect; Sir BftYnatxT: I stjpppse thjvt, is the best cotfftje. D'efeimaiit cohhl not haive" it ? - /'No;'' i-epKedi " #ie Magls-' • tyatej. Hp has po right "to^.tj ajt .- *■