DRINKING NEAR DANCE HALL

Southland Times, Issue 24000, 15 December 1939, Page 19

DRINKING NEAR DANCE HALL

THREE MEN FINED £5 EACH (United Press Association) HAMILTON, December 14. Brought under the recently enacted amendment to the Police Offences Act, 1927, which makes it an offence for a person to have liquor in his possession in the vicinity of a dance hall while a dance is in progress, three charges were heard before Mr S. L. Paterson, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Hamilton today when Colin Thomas Bell, of Rototuna, George Fredrick Fischer, a barman of Te Awamutu, and Leslie Vincent Mathers, of Te Awamutu, were charged under the Act. Their car was stopped in an empty section near the Frankton Town Hall on the night of the dance and people were seen walking to and from the car to the hall. The police investigated and found 17 bottles of beer and five empties. “These cases are of a serious nature,” said the Magistrate. “The consequences of taking and consuming liquor Jn the vicinity of dance halls and particularly the drinking of liquor in cars have been very serious and have led the Legislature to make such action an offence. These offences will be treated as of a serious nature and the fines will not be light.” Each defendant was fined £5 and costs.