FOOTBALL CLUBS RAIDED

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28263, 29 April 1957, Page 6

FOOTBALL CLUBS RAIDED

Liquor Seized By Police About 100 gallons of liquor—mostly beer—was seized under warrant by police parties in three simultaneous raids on football club rooms at the week-end. Another club, whose members had heard of the Friday night raids, was visited by the police yesterday morning. These are the first club raids in Christchurch for about four years. Chief Inspector E. J. C. Hay, who was in charge of the operation, said they were certainly the first in the 18 months he had been in Christchurch.

Three police parties, each in charge of a sergeant of the uniformed branch, made the raids about 9.30 p.m. on Friday. At the Christchurch Rugby Football Club’s rooms, about 40 members had gathered for a pregame talk. Sixty gallons of liquor were taken. There were about 30 members present in the Merivale Rugby Football Club’s rooms, and the police took with them one keg of beer.

About 40 gallons of beer were taken from the Sydenham Rugby League Club’s rooms. No information was available last evening on the number of members present

In each case the police took the names of those present. The club visited by a police party yesterday morning was the Linwood Rugby League Club. There was no liquor on the premises. A Christchurch solicitor last evening explained the law on liquor in clubs. “If the liquor was the members’ own, they could do what they liked with it.” he said. “If it was owned by the club, and sold to members, this would be a breach of the Licensing Act, 1908. and amendments. “However, if the clubs wished to hold a social, and charge a price for admission which would cover the cost of the liquor, they could apply to a Magistrate for special permission. Without this permission such a social would be a breach of the act.”