DRINKS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1933, Page 7

DRINKS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

POLICE VISIT ROYAL HOTEL. CASES AT NEW PLYMOUTH. A police visit to the Royal Hotel at 9.25 p.m. on New Year’s Eve had its sequels in the Police Court at New Plymouth yesterday, when the eight men concerned were convicted of licensing offences. , . John McCarty, barman, was charged with supplying liquor to L. O’Regan and William Martin after hours. Frederick Wallis, licensee, was charged with sell-; trig liquor. lan Scott, John Scott, Alfred Reid, William Martin, Lewis O’Regan and John Clive Berge were each charged ■with being on licensed premises after hours without lawful excuse. In fining each of the eight men £1 and 10s. costs, Mr. R> W. Tate, S.M., said the most serious aspect of the case was that because of the action of his barman a conviction had to be entered against the licensee for a technical offence. . McCarty, the barman, must understand that he was not entitled to entertain his friends, O’Regan and Martin. “But the men most to blame are those who went to the hotel for drinks, said the magistrate in announcing that he would treat all alike as far as fines were concerned. On behalf, of Wallis, McCarty, Berge, Reid and John Scott, Mr. A.A. Bennett entered pleas of guilty. O’Regan, Martin and lan Scott wrote to the Court, and counsel said he understood that they, too admitted the offences. _ The case was outlined by Senior-Ser-geant Turner. He said that Sergeant McGregor and Detective Kearney saw glasses being taken from the bar to bedroom No.' 12, where they found O’Regan "and Martin and some Wellington guests. In. the sitting room opposite they found four local men with drinks. They admitted that they would have paid for the drinks if the police had not arrived; Wallis said the barman was m charge and was acting within the scope of the licensee’s authority. The hotel was well ‘ conducted. Mr. Bennett said it was certainly refreshing that the men were so frank. It was to be regretted that the employee had forced Wallis to plead guilty to a matter of which he had no.knowledge of the facts at the time. The barman believed he was acting legally when he supplied two friends, O’Regan and Martin. A peculiarity of the law was that although the licensee or his wife could supply friends the employees could not. The barman asked the four men in the sitting room if they wanted drinks, and assumed they were boarders. Counsel asked that the licensee should be treated leniently as he had thought the liquor was being supplied to bona fide boarders; at most his was only a technical offence. BORROWED CYCLE FOR ERRANDS. THEN SAID IT WAS STOLEN. Pleading guilty, William Paul Martin (aged 20) was admitted to probation for 12 months for the theft of a bicycle valued at £1 10s. from David Alexander McKay about August 23. Martin borrowed the cycle for errands while employed at a chemist’s shop, said Senior-Sergeant Turner.,- A few days later he sold the machine to a secondhand dealer for 15s. and then complained to the police that it was stolen. Subsequent inquiries disclosed the facts. Martin frequented billiard saloons and gambled. Following a report by the probation officer, the magistrate admitted Martin to probation for 12 months, conditions being that he should not enter billiard rooms or be out after 9 p.m. without the consent of the probation officer, and that he should live "at home during the term of his probation, unless otherwise permitted. He was also ordered to refund the 15s. to the dealer. MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. As a result of a reserved judgment Thomas Benjamin Jones (Mr. G. Macallan) had a maintenance order varied from £2 7s. to £1 17s. a week in respect to Marian Hastings Jones (Mr. A. A. Bennett). Arrears were fixed at £5l 17s. 6d. He was ordered to pay £2 2s. to his wife. John Hook was fined 10s. and 10s. costs for failing to pay instalments of unemployment levy.