LICENSING ACT

Southland Times, Issue 19517, 17 May 1922, Page 2

LICENSING ACT

PROSECUTIONS AT BLUFF. At the Bluff Magistrate’s Court yesterday before Mr G. Cruickahank, S.M., Thomas Mullay, James Haywood, William Connell, John Moore and Thomas Gilroy (junior) were charged with being on the premises of the Golden Age Hotel during prohibited hours. Constables White and Cooper stated that they visited the hotel on the night- in question at about 10 o’clock, and discovered four men with glasses in their hands in the passage near the bar and saw another man vanishing through the dining-room doorway. Several empty glasses were on the stairway. When the proprietor, Mr Archer, came in from the rear of the building they asked him who the man who went into the dining-room was, and he replied that it was himself, but afterwards he admitted that it was Gilroy, who, he said, had brought in half a bag of mutton, and brought him forward. Gilroy stated that he was there to deliver half a bag of mutton. Connelly and Moore then came in and when asked what their business was, Connelly replied that his hut was too cold and he was after a bed. Moore stated that he, too, was there to get a bed. The constables then went upstairs to investigate, and upon returning to the passage found Mullay and Haywood there. When asked for an explanation, Mullay stated that it was too far for him to walk home and he was in search of a bed. Haywood stated that he also wanted a bed.

Thomas Mullay, one of the defendants, stated that he had been working until 10 p.m., and as his home was two miles from his place of employment and he had to be on duty at 7.15 next morning, he had decided to stay at the Eagle Hotel that evening. He had engaged a bed there, but the proprietor had gone away that evening and forgotten to leave instructions with the staff. He found the Eagle Hotel closed up and went on to the Golden Age to secure accommodation. He had stayed at hotels in the town previously when he was working long hours, and this arrangement was known to his wife. The case against Mullay was dismissed. James Haywood stated that he was working in the same store as Mullay and had knocked off at 10 p.m. He went with Mullay to .the Golden Age Hotel to get a bed. He did not get a bed as the house was full and he had to go home. To Sergeant Brookes: That was the only occasion on which he had endeavoured to secure a bed in a Bluff hotel. He had stayed one night at the Club, when he was working there. The Magistrate said there seemed to have been a big rush for hotels that night, but of course he asked for a bed and the police heard him do> so. The case was dismissed. William Connelly stated that he had hung his blankets out to air and they had got wet so as he was subject to rheumatics he was trying to get a dry bed. He did not tell the police that the hut was too cold. His blankets got. wet while he was away at work and he could not get them dry that day. He tried all of the hotels but could not get a bed at any of them and had to go home and sleep with some old clothes over him. This case was also dismissed. John Moore stated that he went in after a bed. It was pay-day and he thought that he would like a change. He went to the hotel with Connelly. He admitted that it was not usual for him to stay at hotels but he had often stayed in them. The case was dismissed.

Thomas Gilroy, who was represented by Mr Gordon Reed, stated that he was an employee on the oystering vessel Loyalty, and as they started out about 4 a.m. and did not finish their day’s work sometimes until 6 p.m., or later, it was customary for him to deliver oysters and other goods to persons at night. On the day previous to the alleged offence he had received a package by the schooner Britannia from the muttonbird islands. He took this parcel home, but did not open it. He took it back to the craft next day and upon opening it he found that it contained muttonbirds. There was a note in the parcel stating that five birds were to be delivered to Mr Archer. He went to the hotel to deliver these that night and as he could not see Mr Archer in the front of the building he went to the rear and left them on the kitchen table. He then went upstairs in search of Mr Archer and found two boarders in the sitting-room who told him that Mr Archer was out at the back. He went downstairs and saw four men in the passage. He passed through the dining-room, to the kitchen where he met Mr Archer and told him that the constables wfere in the front. He was taking the heads and wings off the muttonbirds in the kitchen when Mr Archer came back and asked him to go through to where the constables were.

Cross-examined: He was upstairs about three minutes and the four men were in the passage when he came down. They were not being supplied with liquor. There were no glasses on the stair or he would have tripped over them. He saw no glasses at all. Alfred Stephen Archer, licensee of the Golden Age Hotel, stated that four boarders came into the hotel and asked for a drink which he gave them and told them to go upstairs when they had finished. He then went out to the back yard. The boarders could not have gone upstairs as he told them. He received the muttonbirds from Gilroy that night as stated. He had received a good many muttonbirds from various natives at the muttonbird islands. He did not tell the police that it was half a bag of mutton that Gilroy had brought. He could not give beds to the men who applied although he thought that Mullay’s was a genuine case. He did not care to give Moore a bed and in any case Mrs Archer was in bed and he did not want to disturb her. This case was also dismissed. Felix West, who was charged with being in the Bay View. Hotel at 8 p.m. on April 28, pleaded that he was there to pay an account owing to the proprietor for board, and as the proprietor was engaged he was waiting till he came. The case was dis missed.