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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 870, 8 November 1906, Page 20

Additions and alterations are to be made to the Commercial Hotel at Te Awamutu. The booth holders at Ellerslie had a little bit of anxiety about the granting of their licenses last week. * * * * The prohibition district of Ashburton continues to supply the Magistrate’s Court with plenty of cases of breaches of the licensing laws.

The amount of beer duty paid in Auckland last month amounted to 16s 4d. in October, 1905, the duty paid amounted to 6s sd.

Sir John Logan Campbell, Chairman of directors in the Campbell Ehrenfried Co., Ltd., celebrated his ninetieth birthday on Saturday last.

The New Zealand bowlers touring Australia paid a visit while in Adelaide to the famous vineyards of Messrs Penfold and Co., and the Auldana Company.

The amount of beer duty paid in Wellington last month showed an increase over the same month of last year. This year the amount was against for October, 1905.

It is reported that Mr Chris Leek has sold out of the Royal George Hotel at Newmarket to Mr W. J. Brew in, who not long since sold out of the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Symond- street.

The liquor question at the Exhibition still continues to agitate some of the Southern people, but the licensing committee, an avowedly prohibition one, being elected by the people, their course of action was only what could have been expected.

A proclamation was issued some time ago, prohibiting hotel licensees in certain districts from supplying liquor to be taken off the premises by persons of the native race. A further proclamation was gazetted on October 25, bringing under the Act the whole of the Auckland provincial disrict, including the Franklin, Manukau, Thames, and Ohinemuri licensing districts.

Last Friday at the Ashburton Magistrates’ Court, Mr Wray, S.M., fined George Hickmott 20s, and costs for sending liquor into the Ashburton no-license district without giving the necessary notice to the authorities. Thomas Walsh, Harry McElrea, Charles Graham, Arthur Taylor, and William Childs were each fined 40s, and costs, for being found on premises while the police were raiding the same in search of sly grog, the owner of the premises having since been convicted of sly grog selling.

An architect is preparing plans for a Ladies’ Club, proposed to be erected on a central section on Wellington Terrace. The idea of the club is to provide facilities for ladies visiting Wellington, either from the country or abroad, with the best accommodation and various privileges, such as cannot be offered in an hotel or a boarding establishment—in point of fact, it will be, within limits, sense as a club is for the sterner sex. It is understood that the project has solid support among ladies of Wellington.

Several Temuka (Canterbury) residents, including a hotelkeeper and a grocer, were hoaxed during last week by a person who passed himself off as making arrangements for a party of four who were touring the colony in a motor car, and were coming to Temuka to try the fishing. The imposter was apparently more fool than knave, for though there was ample opportunity, and he had a most plausible manner, he secured nothing but a night’s accommodation and a meal, and after mentioning to a tradesman that the people whom he represented were arriving by car, cycled off to met them. He has not since returned, but it is whispered that he is a man “wanted” by the police.

Another sloy grog case heard at the local Police Court last Friday.

Mr A. J. J. Meyer, who was for some time in the Ellerslie Ho el, is reported to have bought out Mr A. C. Wann at Kamo.

Mr J. J. Graham, who has not been in business for some little time, contemplates purchasing the hotel at Pukekohe. Mr and Mrs Graham will no doubt be quite as popular at Pukekohe as they were when in the Hibernian Hotel, Onehunga and we predict that theirs will be a successful venture.

Beer duty paid in Auckland last month showed a marked increase over October last year.

Charges of breaches of the Liquor Law were heard at the Thames last Monday against W. Mooney, licensee of the Wharf Hotel, and James Montgomery, licensee of the Post Office Hotel at Neavesville, in he latter case the charge was dismissed, and in the former, judgment was reserved.

The police officers at Christchurch are of opinion that the Exhibition has not attracted the number of questionable characters which it was expected to do. They state that people have been unquestionably quiet and orderly.

A man named Joseph Coleman, was at Waihi last Monday fined with an alternative of one month’s imprisonment, for assaulting Mr Kelly, landlord of the Rob Roy Hotel.

Among the contemplated changes reported are that Mr A. L. Higgins of Otahuhu, is arranging to purchase Mrs Finch’s interest in the hotel at Pirongia, and that Mr W. Guise, who was lately at Papakura, will succeed Mr Higgins at Otahuhu.

It is announced that Mr Thos. Martin, who, for some time was manager of the Okoroire Hotel, has purchased a lease of that hotel. Mr Martin has had considerable experience in the management of tourist hotels, and we venture to predict that he will meet with great success at Okoroire.

A misunderstanding led to an amusing incident at the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court the other morning. A certain case was under consideration, and the magistrate made reference to an order for prohibition pending in the Supreme Court affecting the same case. While making this observation his gaze rested upon the countenance of a portly and well-known citizen, who occupied a seat on one of the spectator’s benches. This gentleman, confusing two ideas, and imagining a personal reference to himself, immediately jumped up and protested that no prohibition order had ben issued against him. He continued to protest until he was induced to leave the Court.

The strenuous objections of West Australia to the proposals regarding the distribution of the Federal revenue have called forth some good-humoured jesting. The troubles of that State arise from the abnormal consumption of spirits and tobacco. There are a large proportion of men there of an age that permits them to “stand up” to their whisky and smoke their pipes. However regrettable this may be from a moral standpoint, it has a wonderfully good effect on the revenue. West Australians want to retain the money in their State. The reply that came from the east was—“ Wait a few years, and, like us, you will have old men and women and little children. Our young women are not going to West Australia for nothing. Your stalwart men will mend their ways, cease to be bachelors, and become less liberal contributors to the State coffers. Little strangers, who will not take whisky with their milk, will arrive, and the percapita contribution to the revenue will fall to the level of the staid old States. In the meantime, if some of your revenue comes our way, it will help to pay for the old age pensions to parents of boys ‘gone West,’ whose patriotic performances lift up your revenue so substantially.”