The Licensed Victuallers Gazette

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 877, 27 December 1906, Page 17

The Licensed Victuallers Gazette

THE NEW YEAR.

In a few more days, or to be more definite, next Tuesday, will usher in the first day of the New Year of i9°7- Looking back over 1906 from a trade point of view, there have been no happenings that call for any special comment at this, the year end. Business on the whole has been up to usual standards, and while from a few there has been during the year, talk of dul. times in the hotel business, the prices that have been paid for leases and goodwills, the eagerness of buyers, and the fusion of new blood, chiefly from outside and Southern districts into the Auckland trade, largely discounts the dull times cry, and leads one to imagine that the alleged quietness of busmess is more imagined than real. Our little Lane has certainly had an air of quietude during the last few months, this air having been forced upon it by our friends, sportingly described, having forsaken it almost entirely. This desertion, though quite involuntary, has had some effect on the volume of business in the Lane and its immediate neighbourhood. The country districts, however, owing to the good prices which are obtainable for everything that country people depend upon for a living, have more than held their own, and the majority, chiefly Waikatc houses, continue to report good and in creasing business. However, turning again to the city, the new year opens out full of every hope for a successful year. The large works in contemplation by the city authorities and the Harbour Board, to say nothing of the many large private contracts that have been set going in our midst, must bring an era of prosperity to the City of Auckland. That the population in rhe North Island, and in the Auckland province and city is increasing rapidly, is strikingly evidenced by the recent gain in the number of seats granted to our Parliamentary representatives. An increased population which is attracted by abundant work, and the spending of money in such solid works as are now begun and about to begin in and around Auckland, must br.ng a better and more cheerful feeling in all branches of business. Possibly looking back at 1906, after an election year as 1905 was, has a tendency to make our dying year appear almost dull. Another very important factor in our seeming quietness, has been the fact that in 1905 our prohibition friends had practically worried themselves over the liquor trade to a standstill. They had fought their fight, done their worst and said their worst, with what result, is well known ,and need not be recapitulated here. When the year 1906 opened the position of the trade was unassailable, our opponents had used themselves up. The general conduct of licensees, the high class standard of the hotels, and the correct manner in which they have been conducted during the year, leaves the position stronger han ever. Recognising this, our prohibition friends, or many of them have turned their attention to other callings, where they saw possibilities of achieving chat success, which they so dismally failed in achieving against the liquor trade. We will not pursue their attentions to other people beyond remarking that the anti-every.hing craze which appears to have seized most of them, has had the effect of giving us in the trade what is commonly called “a rest.” Neediess to say that rest has been mostacceptable, and we can only hope that our detractors will continue with their anti-antics, until they become quite an.i to their present selves, and so be ab’e to see some of the good that is in this world. In conclusion we can only hope tha. all our friends will enjoy all the benefits of the good wishes which we sincerely and heartily wish them for the year

1907.

“You have only got to make people think a thing is stolen and you can sell anything in Birmingham,” said a prisoner named. Long at the Birmingham Police Court. He was doing a brisk trade in water coloured with burnt sugar, in bottles whose labels persuaded the buyers to believe that it was stolen whisky.

Nicholas Green, an Austrian, appeared in Court last Friday to answer four char-

ges of s.y grog-selling. All the charges were dismissed.

The quarterly meeting of the Manukau Licensing Committee was held at the Onehunga Courthouse last week, before Messrs R. W. Dyer (chairman), John Rowe, D. Neilson, and McLennan. An application for the transfer of the license of the Royal Oak Hotel from Herman Schmeidel to A. W. Hamer was granted. « • « •

A Dunedin hotelkeeper gives it as his opinion that prohibition orders will always fail until legislation is introduced obliging the publican to give every prohibited person who enters his premises in charge, “As soon as a prohibited person comes into a hotel,” he says “.he publican should be obliged by law to ring up the police at once.” While not attempting to discount the good that may result from the Dunedin gentleman’s opinion, should it be made operative, we wou'd also like to see a move made by the police in the direction of stopping prohibited persons from entering licensed premises. The cases of “found on licensed premises” are frequent, and to a great extent preventable.

The number of female Shylocks in London is said to be rapidly increas ng. They are all old women and are more grasping and merciless than men.

The latest weapon used by burglars is an ammonia pistol. It is reported from London that such a pistol was discharged in the face of a landlord there and that the fluid badly injured his eyes.

In Wellington recently a young man was sentenced to twelve month..’ imprisonment for having been found in the bedroom of one of the housemaids of an hotel there without lawful ecuse. The police gave the accused a bad record.

Mr B’. F. Evans, one of the proprietors of the Sydney “Sunday Times” and’ Sydney “Referee,” arrived in Wellington from the South recently, hav.ng been on a visit to Christchurch, where he saw and formed opinions on the Exhibition. Mr Evans is certain the announcement tha. no drink cou'd be obtainable at the Exfl bition has deterred many “Sydneysiders” making the trip to New Zealand, they having go it into their heads that it was not the place to spend a holiday

In the Onehunga Police Court last week John Huckstep pleaded not guilty to procur ng liquor for J. Reddaway, knowing him to be a prohibited person. The defendant said that he went for the beer for Mrs Reddaway. He did not know that Reddaway was a prohibited person. Mrs Reddaway said that she asked the defendant to go for the beer. She had a reason for doing so, and this she had written down for H’s Worship to see. Mr Dver dismissed the case.

Charges of being on the premises of the Masonic Hotel, Devonport, on a Sunday, brought against three residents of “hat marine suburb, last week, were dismissed in the local Court.

The new licensee of the British Hotel is Mr. J. H. Pagni, who was recently in the Oriental Hotel, Willisstreet, Wellington. Sportsmen will be interested to learn that Mr. Pagni is a very keen football enthusiast, and for a long time has been Wairarapa delegate for the New Zealand Rugby Union, while he was for six years treasurer of the Wellington R.U. For five different seasons he acted as manager of the Wellington rep. football team, and that he must have been something of a mascotte is proved by the fact that during that time the team never met with defeat. Among the Masonic fraternity Mr. Pagni is a persona grata, being for some time editor of the Masonic paper, “ The Delta,” while from 1900 to 1902 he was editor of the Wellington Ruglpy Football Annual. Mr. Pagni is of such a genial disposition and is so well liked that he is sure to do well at the British, at which hostelry one

will be able to rely upon getting the best brands of everything and a hearty welcome from the cheery landlord.

ALLEGED ILLEGAL SELLING OF WINE.

A recent issue of the N.Z. “Times” reports :— The hearing of the charge against Mrs Emily Weiss of having sold wine containing more than 20 per cent of alcohol was resumed before Dr. McArthur, when Mr D. M. Findlay, who appeared for the. defendant, called Francis Henry Montague Ellis, winegrower and manufacturer, residing at Motupipi, near Nelson, who stated that he only, made New Zealand wine, and he had supplied it to Mrs Weiss for about three and a half years. His wine would average from 9 to 12 per cent, of spirit, and he did not think it could be stronger than that. He had asked the Collector of Customs at Nelson to test his wine, but could not get him to do so. He never fortified his wine in any way, and had not had a bottle of spirits in his possession for over thirty years. Once when his son broke his leg in the bush he bought him one shillings worth of brandy, and that was ail the spirits he had had for that length of time. Witness never had the slightest idea that his wine was too strong, but he had no means of testins' as he was not allowed to keep a still ; but he tried to make his wine as weak as possible, so that a man could drink as much as he liked without it “going to his head,” for of course it pa d him that a large quantity of wine should be taken. He had sampled the wine sold by Mrs Weiss, and recognised it as his “Muscadine” wine, and it had not been tampered with. In cross-examination by Sub-Inspector O’Donovan, the witness said he was quite satisfied that the wine he sampled was wine of his own production, and had not been fortified. Mrs Weiss asked him for wine containing under 20 per cent, of alcohol.

Freder'ck Weiss, son o. the defendant, said they had never in any way fortified the wines they sold. They obtained their wine from Mr El'.is and from Mr Moldy, of Christchurch. His mother had been fined some time ago for selling wine over 20 ptr cent., wh ch was made by-Mr Soler, of Wanganui, and since then, acting on the advice of Mr Bragato, they had got wine from the other two makers named.

Emily Weiss said '' told her that his wine was under 20 per cent., and that it could not be stronger than from 9 to 12 per cent. The wine was sold by her in exactly the same condition as it was when it came from the maker. She had endeavoured to have the wine tested by Mr Sharland, the chemist, by the hydrometer, and he said it had no effect and that the only test was by distillation.

In answer to Sub-Inspector O’Donovan the witness said she had sent samples of Soler’s wines to Mr Hustwick, of the Customs Department, to be tested, but had not sent samples to Dr. Maclauren. Mr Findlay, in addressing his Worship, said the offence —if it was an offence at al —was a very venal one, for at its worst it could only be regarded as a lack of care and scientific provis on for the proper carrying out of the business. Consequently he submitted that the law would not dea’ harshly with the defendant, when the penalty upon conviction was such a severe one, and it could not be maintained that the Legisla ure, by its enactment, intended it to apply to such a case as this. It intended that the act should prevent sly grog-selling and not such an evidently innocent case as this one was; for it was quite clear that the defendant had no “guilty mind” in the matter. It had been shown that the process of discovering whether the wine was over 20 per cent, was a difficult and expensive one, and the defendant could not be expected to take any more precautions than she actually did take.- Mr Find’ay submitted that in this case the onus was not upon the prosecution to prove the “guilty mind,” but upon the defendant to show its absence, and the defendant had proved its absence. Dr. McArthur reserved judgment.

EFFECT OF NEW BOUNDARIES.

By the redistribution of seats and alteration of electoral boundaries as set teration of electoral boundaries, each of the electorates in the city of Auckland has suffered modification. The block in the south-western corner of Auckland East, running from Kentstreet to Crummer-road and Pollen-street in the Grey Lynn borough, has been added to Auckland Central, and a portion of Epsom has been added, in Auckland Central, in addition to the increased area above mentioned, the north-western portion of the electorate has been extended by including a triangle from the intersection of Hepburn and Napier streets, through to College-road, and down that road to the corner of Victoria Park, this area being cut out of the City West electorate, which is now of diminished size owing to largely increased population. The Grey Lynn and Eden electorates have suffered minor modifications, and all the electorates in the province are more or less affected by the changes. The greater portion of the new Taumarunui electorate is in the Taranaki province, the Egmont electorate, represented by Mr W. Jennings, and the New Plymouth constituency having both been largely reduced in area to provide for the new district.

The most imporant re-adjustments in the Auckland province have occurred in the district westward of the Rotorua railway line, as the result of the formation of a new electorate, Tauranga, in that area. The Ohinemuri and Bay of P.enty electorates have been re-cast, and the Gisborne electorate compiled, as the result of the establishment of the new constituency. Ohinemuri formerly included Paeroa, Te Aroha, and the adjacent villages in the Ohinemuri Valley, but excluded Waihi. Now it includes the chief goldfields centre, but also Paeroa and the Ohinemuri county, but excludes Te Aroha. This resort is inciuded in the new Tauranga electorate, which embraces one of the largest areas in the province, extending from Tauranga through Plako, southward of the Ohinemuri electorate to Te Aroha and Cambridge.

WAIKATO.

A meeting of the Waikato Licensing Committee was held in the Courthouse, Hamilton, last week. There were present: Messrs H. W. Northcroft, S.M. (chairman), G. Edgecunibe, J. D. Melville J. R. S. Richardson, and J. A. Young. Transfers: The following transfers were applied for:—Whatawhata Hotel, L. Brunton to D. Edwards; Pirongia Hotel, Jane Finch to A. L. Higgins; Waipa Hotel, Ngaruawahia, Cecil Davis to T|ios. E. Halle.t; Delta Hotel, Ngaruawahia, James T. Henshaw to Isabella McKay. Mr Higgins’ application was adjourned, pend ng the execution of a lease, and a conditional license was granted in the meantime. The other applications were granted. Improvements to Hotels : The police reported wi h regard to the National Hotel, Cambridge, that several works which they deemed necessary had not been carried out. The house had been lifted at least a foot higher. It has been supplied with new foundation blocks and plates, and the licensee had effected numerous other alterations and improvements. He purposes a total expenditure of about The police also reported that the work at Te Awamutu hotels had not been completed. The chairman said he existing r'.a'.e cf affairs was most unsatisfactory ; the alterations had been ordered at the beginning of June. There was a big outcry about prohibition, and owners of hotels were simpy forcing the public to vote in that direction, instead of assisting the committees in their work. It appeared as if publicans did not care for anything

beyond the bar trade, and it was no wonder that people voted for prohibition. Mr Currie (architect) said he had been endeavouring to get the work in Cambridge carried out, but had been unable to obtain the necessary labour. The chairman said the committee had no desire to be harsh. The committee would suspend judment until January 16, when they would decide whether licenses should be granted or not. Conditional Licenses: Ngaruawahia Regatta, adjourned; Kihikihi sports, refused ; Ohaupo races, granted ; Whatawhata races, granted; A’exandra races, granted; South Auckland Racing Club, granted.