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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 891, 4 April 1907, Page 20

. There is a further decrease in the British consumption of liquor. * * * * Last year the net profit of the Melbourne Co-operative Brewing Company amounted to * * * * It is reported from Gisborne that the freehold interest of the Te Karaka Hotel has changed hands, the price paid being ,£lO,OOO. * * * * The conference of Labour delegates at Rockhampton, Queensland, have passed a resolution in favour of bringing hotel bars under the Early Closing Provisions of the Queensland Factories and Shops Act.

The beer duty paid in Auckland last month amounted .to 10s 2d, an increase of over the month of March last year. **. * * Alcohol distil ed from curran .s is being used for lighting purposes in some parts of Greece, and wil take the place of petroleum rather than gas, electricity, or acetylene. In the local police court last .week, Mr C. C. Kettle, S.M., committed for trial at the Supreme Court, a man named Charles Lewin, on a charge of stabbing Alfred Hodgson, a porter at he Aurora Hotel, Victoria Street. The offence was committed one evening, when Hodgson had ejected Lewin from the hotel. Dr. Blair described one of the wounds as serious, the other wounds were not dangerous. Bai* was allowed in two sureties of £5O or one of £lOO. • * * » It was reported from Christchurch last week that the police had raided the oyster saloon at the Exhibition and seized 107 bottles of stout and beer. Two plainclothes constables, brought down specially from the North Island, are understood to have purchased drink at the saloon on two nights running, and a summons is to be issued against the proprietor of the saloon for illegally selling liquor at the Exhibition. **. * * In the Perth (W.A.) Licensing Court recently John Stroud Read was granted a license for a hotel at the corner of Hay and Colin streets, West Perth. It was mentioned that the building would be 92 feet by 136 feet, and four storeys high, with a roof garden, and the cost wou'd be from £20,000 to £25,000. * * * * What is believed to be a record shipment of whisky from the Clyde arrived at Auckland by the Morayshire last Sunday. The shipment consisted of 20,000 cases, each containing one dozen bottles, besides 1000 casks. The shipment is, for all parts of New Zealand. It is stated to exceed in point of bulk the 27,000 cases once shipped on a Clan liner at Glasgow. * * * * Considerable discussion arose at the meeting last week of the Parnell Licensing Committee over the question of transfer of the licer.se of the St. Helier’s Bay Hotel to Mr W. H. G. Wrathal. Some vague objections were made by he police, founded chiefly on the reported disorderly conduct of some occasional visitors to the Bay. • The • applicant had nothing whatever against him, and had been as long as twenty years in one hotel, without having been charged with any offence against the licensing laws. Eventually on the question being put to the vote, the transfer was granted. * * * * The Parnell Licensing Committee have decided that it would not co-operate with the Nelson Licensing Committee, which had circularised the Licensing Committee of the colony with the object of securing united action for the extension of their power to order improvements in hotel property. * . * * * It is reported by cable from London that the consumption of beer in 1905 per head of the population was 27! gallons per head of the population, as compared with 321 gallons in 1899. There are also considerable reductions in the consumption of wines and spirits. * * * * In the Police Court at Wanganui last week six tobacconists and four storekeepers were fined £1 each and costs for keeping their premises open after hours. * * * * The Auckland Working Men’s Club has purchased a section in Coburg Street, from which it is proposed to excavate the soil to the street level for the erection of a block of buildings for the use of the club. * * * * There is at present at the police station, Ashburton, beer in barrels aggregating in quantity close upon a hundred gallons. In addition to this there is a collection of whisky, beer and stout, the bulk of which has been seized within the last few days.

Extreme regret was felt among members of the Trade, when last Saturday it became known that the body of Mr Alexander Schultz had been found in the Cemetery Gully, under circumstances which pointed to suicide. A discharged revolver found ■ alongside deceased’s body, and a wound over the right ear.,' showed that Mr Schultze had died by his own hand. Deceased had a long and varied experience of hotel-keeping in the Auckland province, and had always earned the respect of those'he came in contact with. His last hotel was the Grosvenor in Hobson Street, which house he sold out of last May. A couple of months ago he was knocked down by a tram car in Queen Street, and received severe injuries to his head, he having complained since that time of dizziness. The jury returned a verdict that death resulted from a revolver bullet wound in the head, self-inflicted whilst of unsound mind. * * * * At the Whangarei Police Court last week, James Wallace was charged with the theft of a portmanteau and its contents, valued at £4 10s, the property of Isaac Simpson, on the 26th inst. . The evidence showed that the complainant placed the portmanteau in the commercial room of the Whangarei Hotel on Tuesday evening and shortly after missed it. The po’ice suspected the accused and arrested him later witht an empty portmanteau in his possession. The other morning Wallace directed the police to the p ace where he had hidden the contents, a portion only being recovered. Accused, who elected to be dealt with summarily, was fined £2 and ordered to pay a further £2 as the value of the missing goods, o£ in default one month’s imprisonment with hard labour. * * * * . At Whangarei early one morning last week a fire which occurred practically destroyed an extensive block of wooden stables behind the Whangarei. Hotel, owned by Hancock and Co., brewers, and Mr Samuel Rawnsley, storekeeper and gum merchant. Hancock’s portion was insured, but information as to the amount of insurance is not available. Mr Rawnsley was not insured. The licensee of the hotel, Mr Samuel McMahon, lost about £l5O worth of beer and liquor, stored in a shed at one end of the stables. Fortunately there was only one horse in the stables at the time of the outbreak, and that was rescued uninjured. * * * * At New Plymouth last week, Mr Riddell, S.M., fined John Donetz, £5. and costs, in default fourteen days’ imprisonment, or supplying liquor to a native woman. The latter was fined £1 and costs, and two other native women were ordered to pay costs only (14s) for aiding and abetting Donetz. Two seamen were fined £3 and costs each for supplying beer to Maori women at Waitara. * * * * At the Supreme Court last Thursday before Mr Justice Cooper, in compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act, Mr Whitaker, acting on behalf of Messrs Grey and Menzies, Limited, made application for a date to be fixed for creditors to send in their claims against the company, a formality required in connection with a proposal to reduce the capital of the firm. His Honor fixed May 14 as the date. * * * In the local police court last Thursday, Edgar Hodgson was found guilty of stealing £2 from the Windsor Castle Hotel, Parnell. A sentence of one month’s imprisonment was passed. * * * * The news of a surprise among New York saloon-keepers was cabled across last week. Police Commissioner Bingham and Magistrate Whitman visiting saloons by way of surprise visits, found many of them open after closing hours. Among the after-hours consumers were many police officials. The Magistrate ordered numerous arrests. * * * » While the big fire which occurred in Wellington last week was in progress, the Central Hotel which is situated opposite the scene of the fire was for a little time in some danger. Fortunately the good work put in by the fire brigade prevented the fire from spreading.

At the June meeting of the Auckland City Licensing Committee, Mr R. A. Wilson will apply to have the license of the Fitzroy Hotel, Wakefield Street, transferred to Mr T. C. Christensen. * * » * At Invercargill last week the Magistrate (Mr McCarthy) when dealing with two cases of drunkenness at Waikiwi, where depots are, said: “I will take this public opportunity of stating on the class of trade they do, without practically any regulation whatever, is a standing menace to the peace and order of this community.” * * * • It is estimated that in Londpn there are three habitual criminals to’ every two policemen. * * * * ■ The editor of the “Mutual Provident Messenger,” writing of a recent tour in New Zealand says that the effect of prohibition is particularly bad. Even in licensing districts the fear of prohibition prevents hotel proprietors from making any exertions or incurring any material expense in order to contribute to the comfort of visitors. We conclude from the above quoted remarks that the visiting editor did not see much, if any, of the Auckland provincial district, where every exertion is made, and considerable expense incurred, in the endeavour to make the hotels everything they should be, and thereby ward off prohibition and its bad effects. It is reported that Mr R. Cameron has sold his interest in the Panmure Hotel, to Mr W. F. Bell, who for many years resided in Hamilton. * • * * Mr Alfred Parker, who at one time was in the hotel trade in Auckland, committed suicide, by cutting his throat, last week, at his brother’s residence in Nelson Street. - Deceased had not held an hotel license for some years, and from the evidence at the inquest it would appear that on the morning of the day that the fatal deed was committed, he seemed to be wandering in his mind. The coroner’s jury found that death resulted from injuries self-inflicted whilst of unsound mind. * ♦ » » Up to the year 1873 the non-commis-sioned officers and men of the British Army were allowed one penny per day beer money. * * * * “Good morning, Mrs Stubbins,” said the parson. “Is your husband at home?” “ ’E’s ’ome, sir, but ’e’s abed,’ replied Mr Stubbins, who had just finished hanging a pair of recently patched trousers on the clothes line. ■‘How is it he didn’t come to church on Sunday? You know we must have our hearts in the right place.” “Lor, sir,” retorted the faithful wife, “ ’is eart’s all right. It’s ’s trouziz!” * * * * When Eisowath, King of Cambodia, now on a visit to France, takes his walks about one attendant carries a gold cigarette case set with diamonds; another a gold matchbox set with rubies, and a third a gold cuspidor.

Two Chinamen fought a duel in Bankok recently with their fingers. One was killed. They fought with the forefingers of each hand, stabbing each other with these in the region of the spleen, and at the same level on the other side of the body. The men who go in for this kind of contest practice every morning, stabbing bags of rice or paddy with these fingers till they can use them like a piece of iron. * * * * Senator Dubois has a new cook. People keeping house in Washington always have new cooks. This particular Dubois cook came claiming that she could do anything, and Mrs Dubois intimated on the first day that they would have some macaroni for dinner. “What’s that?” asked the cook. Mrs Dubois took her to the pantry and showed her the macaroni. “Do you mean to say you don’t know what this is?” Mrs Dubois asked. “Oh, yes, ’deed I do, missus,” the cook replied. “Only in the las’, place I worked they lighted the gas with them things.” ■ln December last M. Redde, a merchant of Paris, who is a creditor to the extent of 78,000 francs of Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg, was authorised by an order of the President of the Civil Tribunal to distrain upon all articles belonging to the Princess at the Hotel Westminster. The distraint was duly carried out, a dozen trunks being nominally “seized,” which contained a large assortment of feminine attire, jewels, furs, etc. M. Redde, through his counsel, M. Jacobson, asked that the property “seized” should be sequestrated —that is, that the owner of the hotel should be made responsible for them as well as the Princess. The motion was opposed on behalf of the Princess, whose advocate contended that the creditor’s action was merely vexatious, as the Princess had lived at the hotel for three years, and the property, thereore, ran no risk. The judge, however, decided against her, and made the landlord of the hotel responsible guardian of the property under distraint. ***** About is invested in the licensed and allied trades of Great Britain. * * * * Recently a deputation from the Trades and Labour Council waited on the Minister for Labour, making s-rong complaints concerning the methods 01 administration of the Department. The Hon. j. A. Miilar, Minister for Labour, has. written to the secretary of the Cooks and Waiters Union, stating that he has made full inquiry, and that it appears to him that so far as the Cooks and Waiters’ Union is concerned there is no. much cause for comp.aint against the Department. He points out that the agreement came into operation only on November 26 last, and since that time 18 cases have been dealt with by the Court, convictions following in each case; 140 others have been fi.ed, and are waiting to (be ideaL <with v ' The r f emaind'er are eithefr under investigation or instructions have been given for citation. Mr Carey, secretary to the union, replying to the! Minister, .reiterates hid complaints, and asserts the Department condoned breaches by accepting payment of back money after the breaches had been investigated and proved. He combats the Minister’s statement that the agreement is difficult to administer, and says the on.y difficulty of the agreement is the obstinacy of some of the employers, who are a party to it, and who have never before been toouched by a strong union of workers. M/r Carey asks for further inquiry, and that an opportunity be given to him to prove all that was submitted by the deputation. * * * * In the Supreme Court the other day a man named James Kelly was sentenced to two years hard abour on a charge of breaking and entering and theft at Rotorua. Defendant advanced the welLworn drunk plea, but Mr Justice Cooper replied that according to prisoner’s account he had been drunk for ten years. His Honor pointed out that when a man broke a window and robbed a shop through the broken glass, it was too much to ask him to believe that it was done in a fit of drunkenness.