Ex Hotel Keeper to Pay £150 Fine

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 444, 28 August 1928, Page 13

Ex Hotel Keeper to Pay £l5O Fine

From yesterday's Late Kditlo

BEER NOT TRUE TO LABEL PLAIN TOPS ON BOTTLES For having in his possession bottles bearing three well-known labels and without removing the labels, using the bottles for rebottling tiquoe for sale, Andrew Beggs, late licensee of the Masomc Hotel, Devonport, was fined £l5O Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Mr. V. N. ilubblc, who appeared Y-*r the Health Department, described Bcggs's offence as serious as it was deliberate and following two previous convictions of a similar nature. Counsel said that Beggs had been, until recently, the licensee of the Masonic Hotel at Devonport. On July 2. two Health Department inspectors bought two bottles of beer at the hotel. While drinking the beer in the bar they noticed that the bottles were sealed with plain tops instead of being labelled with the brand that was on the bottle. Their suspicions wen* aroused ami they obtained samples of three bottle-'' each of the throe brands of beer, ell nine bottles being sealed with plain tops. "An analysis showed." continued Mr. Hubble, -that in each case the l.eer in all the bottles was substantially the same. An analysis of the brands of the beer they purported to be showed considerable differences. It might be difficult to prove by analysis alone but the evidence in regard to the tops shows that rebottling has taken place. “It Is a profitable undertaking." concluded Mr. Hubble, “as draught beer is only half the price of the bottled, variety.” For Beggs, Mr. R. McVeagh said that he had a free house with permission to rebottle from draught, aiul that possibly in the course of this process the assistants had omitted to remove the labels from the bottles through press of business. “I am of the opinion that Beggs must have known something of what- was going on.” said Mr. F. H. Levien. S.M., as he imposed the fine.