SLY GROG-SELLING AT INVERCARGILL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9271, 25 June 1908, Page 4

SLY GROG-SELLING AT INVERCARGILL.

♦ THE POFF CASE. [From Oub Correspondent.] INVERCARGILL, June 24. I endeavoured to see Police Inspector Mitchell to-day regarding the " Lyttelton Times" criticism -of police action in the Poff 6ly grog cases, but I found him out of town. I, however, gather from inquiry/ that the police explanation, will probably be to this effect: — They had reason to believe for some time that considerable sly grog-selling had been going on at Poff's. but, owing to the methods adopted, the always difficult task of securing a conviction was made doubly so. It is alleged that, although such large quantities of liquor were being brought into Poff's house, it was purchased in lots under the names of different boarders in the house, consequently a hasty prosecu- j tion might have resulted in a proces- i sion into the witness-box of a number of boarders, each armed with a Custom, i House record of his purchase of a share of the liquor. It is not suggested that these boarders did actually buy the liquor in the first instance, or that it was not retailed Subsequently by Poff to them and others, but it is asserted that, in so far as official records of purchase had to be made, these records were made in the names of a sufficient number ojf individuals to have made possible a colourable explanation in the absence of more particular evidence of 3ly^grog. Consequently the police probably hold that they have shown considerable skill and discretion in exposing a wily scheme to cfefeat the law. At the same time, there are those in Inyercargill (and they are by no means few) who laugh at any suggestion that sly grog-selling is not common in the town, and who aver that prosecutions and convictions might be very much more frequent. It should be stated, by the way, that' the " Lyttelton limes" (possibly through an error in bhe sending or transmission of the report of the Poff prosecution), has been misled as to the quantity of whisky alleged to have been sold. The figures ivere 117 gallons of beer and eight oases md three bottles (not eighty cases) of whisky since April 18, but this, of :ourse, is unessential to the pith of the | argument put forward in the afttole.