STRONG CHARGES ABOUT HOTELS

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1578, 23 October 1912, Page 7

STRONG CHARGES ABOUT HOTELS

FROMPT REJOINDER. (By TelezraDh.—Snccia! Correspondent.) Christchurch, October 22. Strong charges were made against Christcliurch hotels hut night at the Baptist Conference's public meeting bv tlio Rev. E. H. Hobday, of Dunedin. Mr. Hobday staled that, on Saturday night, he had visited a (loam of the public-houses of Christchurch. He had seen lhere in seven days more drunkenness than ho had seen in twelve months in Dnnediu. lie had also seen three women drunk. He had never seen before (even in London) (he extraordinary facilities given to drinking in Christchurch. "You should rise up,' he shouted, "and say that these things will not be tolerated. How can you talk of the open bar when women get in these side places and drink together?" Wero these, hotels, Im asked, merely respectable sly grcg/lions : J He would tell them another thing which In hail never seen elsewhere, t! was about these precious places that they called "dives." "If you have got sixpence, you go upstairs, where you get n barmaid lo serve yon," he explained, "but if you want two drinks for the tame money you go down into the dives. 1 went down three or four of your dives, ami 1 say your third-rate public-houses in Whitechapel would compare very favouvablj with them."

Commenting on these remarks, the secrotary of tlio Licensed Victuallers' Asm. ointion usks: "How is it thai it is only these travelling evangelists who see much drunkenness in Christchurch whilst local residents remark on the almost eutiro absence of it? Let us (also (lie experience of the Magistrate's Court last Monday morning. There were two persons, out of o population in the city and suburbs of SIUKIO. What a shocking slate of criminality! It may be urged that I have cited u favourable ci,se in referring to Monday last, but, dm-iny the past thirteen days, 20 persons wore arrested in (lie city nnd suburb.;, and charged wilh drunkenness—nn nvorago of (wo' a day. Tho licensing laws are stringently administered in Ghristchureh, and it is admitted on all sides that the officers of the police force 'here <lo thoir duty withonl fear or favour." As to Mr. Hobday's statement about "dives," the secretary say. that it shows how little the. reverend gentleman knows about (ho licensed trade of this city. As n matter of fact, thenare not three or four dives in this city, Thero are only two—both of which arc very strictly conducted. Evidently Mr. Hobdiiv wished (o convey (he ido.i that "dives' existing in Christchurch aro analogous in character (o the "dives" which are to be found in the, prohibition States of tho United States,