LEGAL & MAGISTERIAL NOTES

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XI, Issue 515, 1 November 1900, Page 19

LEGAL & MAGISTERIAL NOTES

The Liverpool magistrates have a great reduction scheme on hand, affecting 117 licensed houses, in what are known as demolition areas. A publican at Redfern (Sydney) was fined<for refusing to admit plain clothes constables to his premises without ere dentials.

Owing to a flaw in the Licensing Act of New South Wales, an unlicensed dealer has been selling liquor by the bottle at auction at Scone. At the Wellington Magistrate’s Court, before Mr W. R- Haselden, S.M., the licensee of the New Zealander Hotel, J. K. Hamilton was fined £1 and costs, for having employed a barmaid after 11 p.m.

At the Ashburton S.M. Court, Harriet Rouse, of the Alford Forest Hotel, was charged with Sunday trading, permitting drunkenness on premises, and refusing accommodation to a lodger. Mr Watson appeared for the accused. Evidence was given, but the case was dismissed.

At Marlborough-street Police Court, a few days ago, Frederick Battock, a St Johns’ Wood carpenter, made an original excuse for a condition which was taken by the police to be drunkenness. He was charged with being drunk and disorderly in Oxford-street, and when asked by Mr Plowden for his defence said he had just come up the lift from the electric railway, and was dazed and overcome by the electricity. Mr Plowden: You have made an entirely original excuse. Influenza being played out, no doubt the electric railway will take its place. You were dazed by having been on the electric railway. I hope you will not send down the shares of the railway. You must pay ss, or go to prison for five days.

Lafayette, the quick-change artist who has, says a London Exchange, been appearing at the London Hipppodrome daring the past fortnight, would have done well to have been at the Bowstreet Police Court recently, when a man named Christopher Emmott was “ run in ’’ and charged with being drunk. The prisoner admitted having taken some gin, but said that if drunk at all he was only drunk on one side ; the other side was perfectly sober. If Lafayette could have given an imitation of this one-sided drunkenness, he would have added immensely to his popularity. The magistrate told Emmott he was fortunate in not being drunk on both sides, and discharged him. I wonder what will be the next excuse. It is only a few days ago that a man absolutely denied being drunk, and said he was suffering from a railway ride in the ‘ twopenny tube.” “ Electrical insobriety ” will undoubtedly be heard of again.