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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 947, 30 April 1908, Page 20

At the Napier Magistrate’s Court last week;, Alfred Wm. Lester, an. employee of the Harbour Board, was fined £lO or three months’ imprisonment for stealing three bottles of schnapps from the cargo shed. A similar charge was brought against John Owen Crowther, who was fined £5 or one month. • • • « Mr Arthur M. Mvers, managing director of the Campbell and Ehrenfried Coy., Ltd., has been returned Mayor of Auckland for a fourth term. This year there was no opposition, a fact which, in itself, is a testimonial of the high appreciation that Mr Myers’ work in regard to the advancement of Auckland, is held by the ratepayers. « • • ■ A total of 599 opium dens in Shanghai are to be closed. '** « • A novel idea in the way of a collectionbox has been adopted by the licensee of a hotel just outside Gisborne. The Poverty Bay “Herald” states that a slit has been cut into a lemonade bottle, which is placed in a handy position for receiving contributions for the hospital. The coins placed in can be seen, but cannot be removed until the bottle has been broken. A bottle that has been filled with copper and silver has been handed to the secretary of the hospital trustees. * * * • We hear that Mr W. G. Smith is negotiating for the purchase of Mr B. R. ~Sceat’s~interest- in—the-hotel at Warkwork. Mr Smith proved himself an adept at hotel keeping while in the Terminus Hotel, at Helensville, and we wish him every success in his new venture. « • • • Mr Chas. Butler, who died last week at the age of 55 years, was well-known and greatly respected by a large circle of friends and acquaintances in the Auckland hotel trade. For many years he was connected with the Albert Brewery where his death was keenly felt by his fellow employees and his employers. Always a good faithful servant and a true hearted comrade, he won the esteem and respect of all. * * • • The impairing and lightening of gold coins has become so frequent in New South Wales that the Government now offers a reward of for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of any person or persons so offending against the law. The offer of the reward will remain in force for 12 months- » * • • The total cost of taking the census for 1906 was 19s 4d. » * • • A man named John O’Neil entered a Thames hotel the other day and made use of bad language to the barmaid and landlord’s wife. He was fined £5 and costs. Last year. the Commonwealth of Australia imported 2,967,000 gallons of spirits Locally manufactured spirits totalled 682,024 gallons. « * » * Hotelkeepers of New South Wales are agitating for an amendment of the State law so that adulteration of liquor by the addition of an excessive quantity of water should not be an offence under the Licensing Act. » » • ■ • The secretary of the Perth and Freemantle Licensed Victuallers’ Association states there are over 400 sly-grog shops in Perth and Fremantle. « • • • At Palmerston North last Thursday, while having afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel, three ladies were startled by a revolver bullet crashing through the window at which they were sitting, and after making an impression on the dome leading from the loung®, it dropped close to where they were seated;. Had the bullet penetrated the pane about 18 inches lower, it must have struck one of the ladies. The matter has been placed in the hands of the police. v * • » Flowers of Speech.—Fair American (hearing the dinner gong at hotel): “Guess. Popp, you’d better jump into a boiled shirt. There goes the hash hammer !”

Mr Wm. Murton, who for many years conducted the Junction Hotel at the Thames, died last Fridav. * • • • It was mentioned in a court case at Glasgow that the inland revenue stamp for i|d which decorates the shilling bottle or packet of patent medicine, brings in annually. There was once an Ohio man who went to New York for the first time, and. having taken a room at a good hotel, went to the desk to inquire about the meals. “What is the eatin’ hours in this yere hotel?” he said to the clerk. “Breakfast,” the clerk answered “seven to eleven ; lunch, eleven to three ; dinner, three to eight; supper, eight to twelve.” “Jerusalem!” exclaimed the astonished farmer, “when am I goin’ to git to see the town?” • * • • London’s petition to the House of Commons against the Licensing Bill introduced during the last administration by the present Premier, Mr H. H. Asquith, is six and a half miles long. It weighs six hundred weight, and contains 517.000 signatures. * * ♦ * The Plaza Hotel, recently opened in New York City, marks the top-notch in hotel size and cost in a city which has more expensive hotel bui dings than any other city in the country (says an exchange). Ii represents an investment of and has 800 living rooms. The Belmont has 800 rooms and cost The TAnsonia- houses 1500 guests and cost The Gotham and-the St. ..Regis cost, together, and they accommodate 800 guests. The cost and capacity of the others are The Knickerbocker, 700 guests; the Astor, £1, 200,000, 600 guests; the Breslin, £600,000, 600 guests ; the Sev ;ille, 000, 35 guests; the Marseille, £200,000, 300 guests. A 000 investment to house 6000 guests. • • • • The earliest legislative . movement against juvenile smoking was made in France in 1880, when a law was pronounced prohibiting the sale of tobacco to children under 16. The measure did not become law. and in practice the way was led by the New World. In the pub de schools of Canada boy smokers are suspended from attendance and tobacconists are fined for selling to children. In Australia the penalty rises as high as £lOO for such sales- A similar law exists in three-fourths of the States of the American Union, and Norwegian tobacconists are also prohibited from selling to any child under 16 withou: a signed order from an adult relative or employer. * * * * A gent leman who was in the habit of dining daily at a certain restaurant, said to the waiter, an Irishman, who attended ..him : “Instead of tipping you every day, Pat, I’ll give you your tip in a lump sum at the end of the month.” “Would ye moind paying me in advance, sorr?” asked the waiter. “Well, that’s rather a strange request,” remarked the gentleman. “However, if you are in want of some money now, here’s half a crown for you. But did you distrust me?” “Oh, no, sir,” grinned Pat, pocketing the half crown, “but Oi’m lavin’ here tofriorrow. * * • * Germany is to take over the oil and alcohol monopolies for the public advantage. This is to help the nation to bear the burden of military and naval armament. • • • • To call themselves “miserable sinners” is with many people a kind of religious good manners, just as a man inscribes himself “your humble servant.” * • • ® During 1907 the Commonwealth derived 771,582,000 as excise on tobacco. • • • ® Recently the Coroner (Mr Gresham) forwarded to the City Council a request from a hotelkeeper for payment in respect of the use of her premises for inquests. The Council decided to reply stating that steps were being taken to supply a new morgue. In the meantime no liabilitv for fees would be accepted by the Council. When the

matter came up, Mr R. Farrell remarked that he could remember the time when at inquests at hotels the Coroner “snouted” for the jury and the jury “shouted” for the Coroner. That was some compensation to the publican. In these days of prohibition however, he understood that Coroner and juries came out of the hotels dry. (Laughter.) He urged the Council to hurry on with the new morgue. The Mayor (Mr A. M. Myers) said that at next meeting of the Council it was hoped to submit a satisfactory site for the morgue. * * « » At a vineyard in New South Wales, sheep were fed and did well on the grape skins from the crusher during the vintage. ® m « • At the Commercial Travellers’ Cub on Friday last. Mr H. Herbert, the retiring manager, was presented with a purse of sovereigns by his friends. Mr F. E. Jackson, president of the club, made the presentation. *■♦ • • The members of the Hutt Valley Licensed Victuallers’ Association were entertained at luncheon at the Bellevue Gardens Hotel recently. At a meeting following. pre iminary proceedings in connection with the approching local option campaign were discussed, and a number of proposals were adopted. It was resolved to appoint an organising secretary for the association, a sub-committee being selected to define his duties. * * 3* $ The Waldorf, the latest addition to London hotels, has no fewer than 176 bathrooms. and over a mile of corridors. » ♦ * • Mr H. E. Partridge, the well-known tobacco merchant, who has been on an extended tour of the world, returned to Auckland via Sydney by the Mokoia last Sunday night. ♦ * * * Mr Jack Franklin, who is perhaps one of the best known travellers in t'he Auckland province, where he has represented the Great Northern Brewery Coy., Ltd., for the last twenty years left by the Atua. s.s., last Tuesday bound for the islands for a well-earned holiday.