The Licensing Law

Southland Times, Issue 19089, 3 July 1903, Page 2

The Lice nsing Law

D.F. TRAVELLER AGAIN. Per United Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 2. The case Hammond v. Hobson was argued before the full Bench of tho Supreme Court to-day, all the Judges, with the exception of Mr Justice Williams, being present. The applicant is licensee of the Heathcote Arms hotel, at Heathcotc, and was convicted by Mr Beetham at Christchurch of having sold liquor on a Sundiny to one Shearwood, he not being a bona fide traveller. He now appeals from this conviction. The facts were admitted by counsel on both sides for the purposes of the .appeal and are. shortly, his fellows : —Shearwood lived at Sydenham and slept there on the Saturday night preceding the duy in question. On Sunday he bicycled to Sumner, a distance of eight miles, from Sydenham. His sole object iv going to Sumner was the pleasure of the outing. He had no drink at Sumner ibut on the way home had a drink at the appellant's hotel, which is at least four miles from both Sydenham and Sumner. The liquor was sold to Shearwood in presence of two constables in plain clothes and known to him to be such. The magistrate convicted appellant and lined him £5 Is. Two (pies tions v.re involved in the appeal. First, whether Shearwood, under the circumstances, was a bona fide traveller, seeking refreshment on arriving from a journey within the meaning of sub-section ")0 of section 22 of the Act of 189.> ; secondly, whether, assuming it not to have been hnvful to supply Shc.unvood, the fact, that appellant, bona fide, believed that he lawfully could supply him. amounts to a defence under section 1.77 of the Act of 1881. The Court reserved decision. The licensees of the Cecil. Empire and Oriental hotels. whose applications for licenses were adjourned forth ree months by the licensing committee, apparently on the ground that they have dives on the premises, are applying for a mandamus to compel the committee to issue licenses without del uly. DUNEDIN, July 2. The licensee of the Shades hotel. North-east Valley, now closed owing to the carrying of prohibition in Chalmers, was lined ,£r> and costs for supplying liquor on Sunday. A ( charge against the licensee (X' the Salutation hotel, one of the reduced , bouses in the city, was dismissed, as . his son. who served the liquor, was ! not authorised to do so. Wednesday, the first day of tlie :io- ■ license regime, was in no way roc markable locally, and everything ) points to an early settling down ot i the people under the changed conditions. — Ensign. On Wednesday morning Mr nnd Mrs -• l>. Collins, who have conducted tlie :* Southland Hotel. (lore, for the past live years, were, met by a number of f private friends prior to their depur--1 ture for the Home Country. On bei' hah' yf thess friends, Mr Tuoij. Green

presented Mr Collins with a silver inscribed cigarette case, and Mrs Collins with a massive "'Nellie Stewart " bangle. Mr Collins acknowledged the gifts in adequate terms, referring feelingly to the many warm friendships he had made during his stay in Gore.

A correspondent of the Ensign mentions a somewhat curious coincidence in the fact that the first customer to partake y of "ja..-- drink at the Stoney Creek- Hotel when it opened on July Ist, 1884," also" had the last drink in the house bit Tuesday night before the^b'ar was finally closed.