Magistrate’s Court

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 4, 5 December 1947, Page 5

Magistrate’s Court

Wairaka Beer Party: Several Breaches Of Liquor Laws A beer party at the Maori meeting house at Wairaka had its repercussions in the Magistrate’s Court at Whakatane on Tuesday when Mr E. L. Walton S.M. fined 10 Maoris £2 each, with costs, on charges of suplying liquor to natives and aiding or assisting in the supply of liquor to natives.

Mary Hudson and Margaret Hollis pleaded guilty to the charge of supplying liquor, and Charlotte Williams, Henry Hudson, Albert Benjamin Hudson, Robert Hudson, Hira Williams, Te Peeti Merito, Tena Riini and Fred Bluett all pleaded guilty of aiding or assisting. Police Sergeant M. Farrell told the Court that at about 2.30 a.m. on October 7, police visited the meeting house and found a party in full swing. There was an eighteen gallon beer keg there with about a gallon left, and the defendants Hudson and Hollis were dispensing beer from jugs. The others were drinking it. The greater part of the Police list at the sitting concerned breaches of the liquor laws, and nearly all the cases concerned natives. Unlawful Liquor Supply Pleading guilty to a breach of his prohibition order, and to aiding or assisting some person unknown in the unlawful supply of liquor to a native, himself, Riri Whenua Kohua was fined £3 and costs on the first charge and £2 and costs on the second. Sergeant Farrell said Kohua had been found in a taxi on October 3 with six bottles of beer he said a pakeha had bought for him. ■ Dave Wilson and William Biddle, charged with aiding or assisting in the supply of liquor to natives, themselves, failed to appear. Each was fined £2 and costs. A. Constable found them on September 30 with three bottles of beer each.

Edward Milroy was similarly fined on a similar charge. He had been doing, the thing properly. Police evidence was that he was caught on the Taneatua Bowling green on the evening of October 25 with a sack containing 30 bottles of beer in his possession.

On Premises After Hours

Dave Hona, Wiri Kingi and Dave Tawa all pleaded guilty to having been found on licensed premises after hours. Police evidence was that one of them was caught climbing over the fence at the back of. the Whakatane Hotel, and that the others were in the back yard. They said they were waiting for some friends. Eeach was fined £1 and costs.

Liquor At Dance

lan McDonald and Ken Cutts, described by Police Sergeant M. Farrell as respectable young men who had never been in any trouble before, pleaded guilty to having liquor in the vicinity of a dance at the Winter Show building. Sergeant Farrell said they were caught. having a drink out of a bottle with a little sherry in it. They were fined £1 each, with costs.

Found Drunk

Alfred Jones, alleged by the Police to have been found drunk in the Strand and to have been making a nuisance of himself to some street preachers on the night of November 7, was convicted and fined 10/- with costs. A similar penalty was imposed on Monty Hune, who pleaded guilty to having been found drunk at Te Teko, and who the police alleged had been making a nuisance of himself on a public bus between Whakatane and Te Teko.