PRIVATE BARS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1666, 5 February 1913, Page 7

PRIVATE BARS.

AND UNREGISTERED BARMAIDS.

PUBLICAN FINED.

DECISION OF DR. M'ARTHUR, : S.Hi;

Yesterday'mdf'ning Dr., M'Arthur, S.Jt., delivered judgment in the caso in which John Thomas Levolt, licensee of the Adelphi Hotel, ,was charged with bavins employed Jii the private bar of Ins hotel ono Alberta Plum, who was nOt duly registered under the Licensing Ainentliuent Act of 1910."' '.• . ■■: '.;■ '

His Worship quoted- Sab-section I.of Section 3G of the Licensing Amendment Act,; 1910 (as amended "bySection 2,0f,th0 Bsi'maHjs. Registration, Act; 1912); which reads;'as. follows;— . ', • '-. *-.■■!"■

_ •"After' li the first day' of June, ;.1011, \ .-'•. save/as'pro.vided by. this section, .no d'rriule! -snhll bo employed in .any';ca-.. p'acityi; or ..permitted-.io serve'iri any, ; '. capacity',in ■'ori about .tho ..bar.; of '.any ■ '.. licensed..'premises. at auy:."timo'while ; ■'..tho'bariis open for:the sale of liquor.";. ■Tho exceptions,, said his.Worship,,;were, contained; in, Sub-section .3;. and.', were .as", follow.! "The. wife,! sister,;;pji.daughter of the licensee/of the.pfoujises.':. '.".;'..■ -Any. person duly 'registered, as. a- ba'r'rftaid under 'this' Act." :/■:. : ; ; : - : l ■ [ .'; :■.:.

.rUhdcf the. Licensing Act, lSOS.iSectioh. i," 'sai:l. v -his^ 'Worship, ■'." 'public : bar!' of 'bar' mean's' an'y,-.,room', passage, 01' lobby; in any .licensed premises,.' ppenins, imnieduUely'. to afiy/stroct V 'i;.'.. fth'erojn : 'thb publiainay 1 enter and purcli"aso;liqu6ti ; ,A; priyato bar, then,' iri' ; tho : ordinary', sense ilieans\a'.-;bar. thrtt is'.not; public, tliat is. onei. VrhichSlacks! oho or'i.'dthef: of,,' the; qu'alitks^ncceVsary'to a public bar by s de ; ; finitiphvVjlty'Aves shown in.evidence that the 'jptibliCj htts: ; ! accefs to this :'bar,' and could /obtain Jiquor there. The-'necessary, quality waiUihg-.Was that it,did not open inimcumtoljv. to .-any:-, street. I am* Of. opinion -that-tho 'bar .referred tb ; in ,the; information : waV a. private "bar, .arid that an ■oif6iice;l)'(u?! ; b' , een committed;" ' '"""

'•• Continuing,' his\ Worship said; A'irrcat. Meal .was/said,by. counsel .'for. the defence' 'as to tho necessity, for . the liberal construction of, penal statutes'.', i >Hfi relied.' strong^.on;. Deal's legal interpretation 7 V i?-i^ : '? said that: ."In. construing dn i£m >° ■ (the Licensing Act,' l!>f2), by.wiuch'.a penalty is imposed." we' must took -strictly,at:the language,,in .'or-' den ..to.spe'.whether tile/ person. ngains.t whom ;'the fpill'alty.'.is sought' to' be 'chfitfced ,nas: eoluniitfcdiau 1 - oll'enco' within ~.?d s " tllili; /'' ■■, 'J-VclTe.Vyears/ 'later, 'in IMS, thc: ; second edition of Bcal reads:A penal statute is to bo interpreted like, auy /Other,* instrument .according .-to tiio fair cominon-sehsb meaning of. the language .used,'.'.'.,, Again, ilaxjvpll,' on the in* ■ •terpretatloipof .statutes: V'lhe literal construction, 'their, has/but-a'prima; facia, preference.', '10-arrive «f the, leai meaning it is always necessary=(o get an esact conception.of.,the aini/.scope; anti 'object' of the wholo/Act: to'-coiiSiderjiaccoi-uiug'. t6'.Lord.'Lake, (1), what was'tlie-'law '■bt!< lore ; the Act was passed, (2), what was the mlcchief .;or. defect for ..which' 'the lawhad - not- provided," (3) liament. has .appointed; and (i) .tho '■'- reason of : the remedy." The : , words',of.' d statute when there/is a doubt iibout thjir. meaning; (1 do not .admit'there is nhy ! doubt here) ar^.to be 'uuder'stood.in' thV sense,iii'which they best harmonise wi,th.Vie subject of, tho enactment'and the'eh-,' ject-which' the Legislature had. in view!' Maxwell states that: ' ''The: degree : ' : of strictness; 1 applied to' tlie consti-übtidii" g'f a, : penal-.. statute, depended'in' great '•ic«ai-'-suw-diiv-tho! seventy -of ,tho/,slatute; Whero it-'' iuerely: ..imposed-'• a,:.pe.cuniary. penalty . it~was. construed'"less;\ strictly, than, .tvhero.-tho .rule was',invoked: s ';ln'( lavorem* jvitae'.' 1 ;.,•',, ..•; :''.'.''.'-..'' '. ■•.'*'!'■' . "As I have .already ;stated,"' his riWorship concluded,!." .in; lny opinibii':au*()f- ; . fenco ; has bc,en -committed, ' 'and' tho: defendant'', /.-must , ' 'be'/; contacted: and.■{ fined' -£2 .': and' '/Court .- fees';. '1 would' hero point-out (that'the penalty: is a recurring oiie, ' but I'_ have; no desire, oil tho, cases' at present bbi'ovb .me to,' i-n----flict such'a penalty, as:they are first.and -test cases.",': '■.' -//i''. ■'/''//,'":'./"

■''.'I take it," ho added,, word f'p'ri-' vote'.in. the ..expression', .'private must .bo taken in ' its. fair, and,'. reasonable meaning ,jii' connection . with ', tlißv 'aimi ! reojpe,,and object of-jhe stntutb .in which'; it is-'iisetl."v'-..'( •.'-.•.■'••.•-■•...-.• ■>. Mr. T.iM.'rWilfdrd,. who,;'ot; the"hearingy appeared.'for-the defendftntf There ;arb, two important points in your judgment—(1), The', question;..of., whether the; onus'"is" oh the.prosecution,.qr.tbe defence) in'an. information like the present, to show ;thut the barmaid is.unregistered. v (2) The'question, of .whether the .prirato bar,, so-called, is cither,a_bdr within the ineuning of the Act or a private'bhr.' The effect of the' judgment' is; so. far-reaching .'.that itmay' nave the effect .of.inspiring' a liability, on ho'tclkeepei's of reconstructing; 'licensed ■premises, ; which, have-:been constructed under', the'authority of, the then existing law, and it may also affect the license issued'to, every hotelk'eeppr in Now' Zealand in so far as the relation of "bar" to 'jlicense""applies,; So, I have to,give notice of appeal'."'!-'■' ■'■'.'..' ■ ' I

• Dr. M'Arthur: I .quite understand Hint appeal would -bo made, and rightly so, and; therefore I'took cbjisklcrabje trouble ovcr : it' v -' ■ -.',--'. ■'■''■ ' •'; "•'• ■'■~-••• '.'■ .■ ■' " The cases- (somewhat similar); against John Charles Mason (Panama Hotel), Melville -Honeynian Robertson (Coniniercinl Hotel), and Margaret 'Macintosh-'.(Royal Tiger Hotel)' stand adjourned sine die. '■■