ILLEGAL LIQUOR

Taranaki Daily News, 20 April 1935, Page 5

ILLEGAL LIQUOR

CONVICTION OF HOTEL-KEEPERS. OPUNAKE AND OEO CHARGES. Two hotel-keepers, six customers and a woman were convicted at the Opunake Police Court on Thursday for breaches of the Licensing Act arising from the sale of liquor after hours. John Glengarry, licensee of the Oeo Hotel, pleaded guilty to a charge of selling after hours on Sunday, March 31, and was convicted and discharged. His wife was fined £4 and 10s costs for supplying liquor, to which charge she pleaded guilty. Charges of keeping open and exposing liquor for sale against the licensee were withdrawn. ; John Henderson and James A.. Pettigrew, who pleaded guilty to being on licensed premises at Oeo after hours, were each fined £1 10s, and costs 12s. Ernest Frederick de Tourret, licensee of the Club Hotel, Opunake, was fined £2 and 10s costs for selling liquor after hours. Charges of opening and exposing liquor for sale were withdrawn, Ernest de Tourret, father of the licensee, was fined £4 and 10s costs for supplying persons not lawfully entitled to be supplied with liquor. Mr. C. H. Croker represented the defendants,, who pleaded guilty. Egmont Stephen Hickey, Bernard Connor and Claude Bowater pleaded guilty to being on the premises of the Club Hotel, Opunake, after hours, and each was fined £1 10s, and costs 12s. A charge against, a youth who was accompanying one of the men was dismissed -as it was not proved that he was seeking liquor. Constable Clouston said that on the Sunday afternoon shortly after 5 o’clock he visited the Oeo Hotel and found Mrs. Glengarry in the bar. Henderson and Pettigrew were in a side room with the bar slide open and two glasses in front of them. The men admitted they were there to get liquor. The licensee had not been convicted since 1930. Mr. Fouhy for the defence , said the licensee was away and Mrs. Glengarry was in charge when Henderson called. She recognised him as an old bowling friend of her husband. Pettigrew was a butcher who supplied meat to the hotel, and the previous day he had been asked to take away a knife and sharpen it. He had returned with the knife when he was found on the premises. Constable Clouston said the licensee was playing bowls at Pihama and was not on the premises at the time of his visit. He was a good hotel-keeper. Constable Clouston said that on April 3 there was a dance at the Opunake town he noticed a number of men go in and out at the back of the Club Hotel. At 1 am. he saw Hickey and Bowater enter the premises, and following he found them at the bar slide with de Tourret, senr., in the bar. Both men had liquor.in front of them. Leaving the premises he met two more men coming in. One admitted he was looking for liquor, but the youth said he had merely followed his friend, and did not take liquor. He was a good hoy, and the constable had no reason to disbelieve his story that he was not there for liquor. ■ The same facts applied in connection with the charges against the licensee, said Constable Clouston. He found that access was ■ gained to the hotel through an old billiard room. The licensee was absent from March 15 and did not return until April 16. He did not have permission to leave the hotel for this period, and this would probably be brought before the notice of the licensing committee. He had previously warned the licensee.

•Mr. Croker admitted the facts as stated. His client had received a cable that his mother was desperately ill at Sydney, and he took the first boat, thinking he could get back under’ the statutory period, but he found he could not get a boat, and once there the offence was committed. He had been keeping hotels for 13 years and had never had a conviction. The hotel was left in charge of McElligott, who had cut his fingers that 'day and had to go to bed. He handed the keys to de Tourret, sent., who was not the manager or agent of the licensee. The latter need not have pleaded guilty under the circumstances, but rather than

take up the time of-the Court he had decided to plead guilty. De Tourret, senr., had weakly been persuaded to serve the two men. He. could offer no excuse except that he was not a publican. He had expressed his regret , for the trouble he had brought on his son. Constable Clouston: I was told he was in charge Of the hotel. Mr. Croker: He in charge of the house portion and the cash, but McEUigott was in charge of the bar. . The licensee was not altogether without blame, said the magistrate. He was away from the hotel without leave. He would be fined £2 and 10s costs.