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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 965, 3 September 1908, Page 20

This season’s English hop crop is reported to be magnificent in quality. « » «. ■■ • At New Plymouth last Saturday morning, Mr. Fitzherbert', S.M., dismissed an. application by the Crown for the . rehearing of the charge against the licensee of the Taranaki Hotel of permitting drunkenness op his premises. The case at the hearing caused remarkable interest. Londoners spend £l/300,000 a day. * * » * We hear that Mr. W. Watts, who was licensee of the Edinburgh Qastle Hotel for some time, contemplates going into the hotel business again. ■ • • • • Mr. J. W. Shand, of the Grand Hotel, Te Aroha, paid Auckland a visit last week. His many friends were pleased to see that the. Springs district agrees with his health, for he looked well and hearty. • * Ih the charge against Mr. Charles Molloy, which was heard at the , bblice court last Friday, it appears from the evidence that one of his boarders, after having been away from the house some hours, returned in an intoxicated state. The case has resolved itself into one of how far is a licensee liable for the condition of guests who return to his house after having procured liquor elsewherp. Mr. R. W. Dyer, S.M., who heard the case, reserved his decision, which will be put in writing. * * * •» Sir Andrew Clarke, the well-known physician, advised an old lady who took her daughter to him suffering from anaemia to “ give her claret.” Six weeks later the old lady returned with the girl, now rosy-cheeked and healthy. “ I’m glad she has taken her medicine,” said Sir Andrew. “ Oh, yes,” replied the old lady. “ I gave her plenty of them. We boiled them, and stewed them, and gave them to her at every meal.” She thought the doctor had ordered “carrots”! ’ f * At Oamgru last week, Mr HutchinSpn, S-Mo Richard Andrews £2O far keeping liquor for sale in a noUcense district. A similar charge against Mrs Andrews was withdrawn Andrews pleaded guilty. I’p th# course of ah interesting interview giyep to a ‘representative of the New Zealand “Herald.” Mr A. M. Sedgwick, a, leading South African wipe expert, who is visiting Austraiasjg for the purpose of studying and comparing New Zealand and Australian wines with those of other countries, states he has not been greatly impressed , with the quality of the New Zealand wines he has sampled, but he makes an exception in favour of one of the three-year-old white wines grown on the Government experimental farms at Waerenga. This wine he classifies as a good, sound, light wine, with an excellent bouquet. Mr. Sedgwick thinks the New Zealand climate rather rainy for the production of a good wine grape, with the requisite qualities in proper proportion of sugar and fruit acid, but he points out that he is judging from his; experience of one season only. He offers some interesting hints on winemaking, which should be of value to New Zealad wine-growers. Owing to the “ night raiders’ ” campaign, the American Tobacco Trust announces that its buyers will henceforth forsake Kentucky, and transact business from Cincinnati. It intends to concentrate its supplies in Ohio. The, night raiders have for some time been destroying crops, raiding offices of the Trust, and committing other acts of lawlessness in revenge (as they declare) for the Trust reducing the price of the leaf. * * ♦ ' Mr. Hunter, manager of the State Hotel, Gwalia, W.A., interviewed at Perth last week, stated that in three years the capital cost of the hotel and

buildings (£9000) had been paid off, and £lOOO clear profit made. Rigid adherence to 11 o’clock closing, and an absolute bar to any Sunday trading, were factors in the success achieved. Men were refused liquor if they made a row, and told that they would be put on the State Hotel prohibited list for a week or a month. That quietened them. i In the Wellington Police Coupt last week two charges of unlawfully selling Wine, brought against Charles C. Wilson, and a charge against Emily Weiss for being the occupier of licensed premises where liquor was unlawfully sold, were adjourned. « * -* ♦ The citizens of a, town in Taranaki, not very far from New Plymouth, are having some amusement at the expense Oi' a hotelkeeper in the place. This hotelkeeper came to New Zealand while very young, and is not well acquainted with his relatives. A coupld of weeks ago a stranger called at the hotel and informed mine host that he was his younger brother just out from England. . The uhsuspedting Boniface promptly took the strahger to his bosom (figuratively speaking), and gave him a right royal Welcome. The stranger was very plausible. He had, he said, brought several presents of valuable jewellery and curios for his sister-in-law and niece, but some of his baggage had gone astray. This still more endeared him to the family. He was introduced to all and-sundry as ‘My brother irom England.” With free board and lodging, and the best of everything, he was enjoying himself immensely. But the local policeman recognised the stranger, and the hotelkeeper received a tude shock when he was informed that hs “ brother ” was a well-known criminal, whose special line was false pretences. But the stranger had scented trouble, and had vanished. The charges of stealing cash and jewellery from the Waverley Hotel, brought against William Wright, a sailor from H.M.S. Powerful, were dismissed by Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M., who said he felt satisfied that no jury would convict on the evidence, which was mainly one of identification. - 4i ■ Harry Crook, Karangahape Road. —-Both Simon and Samuel held licenses in this city, but ,we cannot answer with certainty if the latter ever held the license for the hotel you mention. 4 ♦ • ■ According to a recent report from the Government Commissioner in the Cook Islands, the natives have taken to drinking bay rum and scent, as a substitute for liquor. * * • • One of the oldest identities in the hotel trade, in the person of Mr James Corbett, of Hikutaia, died last week. Mr Corbett came to the Thames Goldfields from Victoria in the sixties, and was manager of many important mines. He settled at Hikutaia nearly thirty years ago, and was for many years a member of the Thames County Council. Through failing-health, he retired from public affairs about three years ago. He was widely respected, being a man of sterling character, and his death will be deeply regretted. The deceased was born in the West of Ireland, and leaves a widow and three sons and five daughters to mourn their loss. * * 4 * In the Arbitration Court in Wellington last week Walter Gandar, hotelkeeper, was fined £2 for paying a porter less than the award rate of wage, and Percy Sanderson, the porter, was fined 10s for accepting the same. Henry Dodley, another hotelkeeper was similarly fined for a like offence, and a breach of award recorded against the porter. * * « . • A man taking nothing but solids would die in eight days.

The world’s average annual wine production is now estimated at 3,775,606,000 gallons. Of this Europe furnishes slightly more than 95 per cent.

During a hailstorm which broke over the district of Benziers 15,000 acres of vineyards were laid waste. The quantity of wine lost to the owners is estimated at 10,500,000 gallons. '

With reference to a paragraph stating that Mr M. Walsh was retiring from the. City Club Hotel, Mr Walsh -wishes'it known that., he has obtained, an extension of his lease for another fifteen years. His customers could’nt possibly spare friend Michael, i ■'