TREATING FRIENDS AFTER HOURS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 39, 10 November 1942, Page 3

TREATING FRIENDS AFTER HOURS

Hotel, Licensees Lose Right EFFECT OF MAGISTRATE’S JUDGMENT 1 Dominion Special Service. WANGANUI, November !>. "I am driven to the conclusion, huWlAi-l anomalous it may appear, that the intention of the regulation was to abolis.i as an emergency measure the old common law right- of a licensee to supply liquor by way of gift to his bona mlc guests after closing hours, _ stated Mr. Salmon, S.M., in a reserved judgment delivered in Wanganui today. The'question whether the stricter lorm of licensing control introduced receui.y by the Licensing Act Emergency regulations 19-12, had deprived hotel licensees of the right to treat friends a.ter hours was argued last week, when Jvmrn’t John McGlone, licensee of the Grund Hotel, was charged with supplying liquor after hours for consumption ou the premises. Air. 11. M. Keesing, who appeared for defendant, said the points raised were ot' iinportance to the licensing trade in New Zealand. He sought an interpretation of the Act.,.- J ; . The magistrate, held in his judgment that defendant must be convicted and fined £lO, the minimum penalty urescribed by the regulations. For niany years in England and in New Zealand there had been no question of the light of a licensee to supply liquor by way ot gift to his private friends whom he was entertaining on his licensed premises jitter closing hours, the magistrate said. There was no provision in the. Licensing ACIS of cither country which specifically conferred such a right, but the right had been established at common law,in England for a very long time. The effect ot me new regulations was to forbid every person from 'selling, supplying or exposing for sale liquor in licensed premises or a chartered club at any time while licensed premises were required to be closed. JLe expression “every person” was wide enough to include the licensee, his wile and members of his family, in fact everybody on licensed premises. “It is diliicult to understand why a licensee, if living in his own home, should have been deprived of the right to supply liquor by way of gift to his bona hue guests during closing hours wheu lodgers on the same premises are still permitted to retain the right to entertain their bona tide guests and to supply them with liquor by way of gift,” said the magistrate. “The next anomaly that would arise is that a licensee, though permitted to sell liqubr to a person who is having an evening meal ou the premises, could not supply such a person with liquor by way of gift.” -

ENTERTAINMENTS Majestic Theatre.-Greer Garson 'V al Pldgeou and a score ot' the boiiniest babies the screen has ever seen continue to att ra ?A record crowds to "Blossoms in the DUS . The story of Edna Gladney, the -Le.xas woman who turned a life that be dI more tragedy than'most into something spir tual, uraetieat and inspiring, is told with an economy of sentiment, that places this among the foremost films of the year. It is also.au admirable display of teehuicotour. -

King’s Theatre.—lt may be „ that the makers of “Confirm or Deny. at the King’s Theatre set out to gi'<tlie public a real war-time thriller, comDlete with action, humour, drama, stark tragedy, and life In London during the terrible blitz period m IJ .“ , maybe they intended to do aU that, and in part they . suceeedeu. . What they actually did do was to bring home the horrors and tribulations of warfare against civilians to a degree seldom met with in any previous film. Don Aineclie tyid Joan Bennett are starred.

State Theatre.—West Point, Broadway, some patriotic songs (notable among them •■Uncle Sam Gets Around”), Carol Landis and George Montgomery all help to tmn "Cadet Girl” into a cheerful, amusing piece of propaganda. Also on the programme is "Sundown Jim,” which stars a new cowboy star, John Kimbrough. Tomorrow Lloyd Nolan appears in "The Man Who Wouldn’t Die.”

Opera House-“ The Letter” is a remarkable film in which the producer has faithfully captured the oppressive atmosphere ot the tropics and the moods of the people who make their living from rubber. ‘Bette Davis gives an admirable performance in a story which calls for every ounce of her acting ability it the audience is to believe tins somewhat fantastic tale. Somerset Maugham is always theatrical and never more .so than in "The Letter. St. Janies Theatre. —‘Cecil B. de Mille rises to the occasion of his-thirtieth anniversary of film-making with “Reap the ■Wild 'Wind.” John Wayne, Paillette Goddard and Ray Mllland lend Mr. de Mille noble ‘help in' making this the most spectacular, colourful, lusty picture the screen has seen for a long time. With feeling' one can say to the producer—many happy returns.

■ piaz.u Theatre.—"Remember the Day Is a very good film of its kind. The. people in it 'behave like human beings—which is rarer than one might imagine in the cinema. Not aR ot us have taught Shakespeare to Presidential candidates, but there are few of us who have not experienced' the simple and joyous moments that this film compels us to remember; Claudette Colbert and John Payne are the stars.

Tudor Theatre— Now transferred to the Tudor, "South American George’’ is more lavish than Foruiby's former productions. There are more shapely girls and expensive settings, but he still has his guitar, his accent, and his flair for putting over songs as only George Forniby ran. John Howard and Lttclle Fairbanks are the stars of the. second film. ‘‘The Muu W’lio Returned to Life.” j SUBURBAN THEATRES Toguo (Brooklyn).—“The Black Sheep ot Whitehall, ’’ Will Hay; "Henry Aldrich for President,” June I’reisser, Jimmy Lydon. Ascot (Newtown). —"Smiling Through. Jeanette MacDonald, Brian Aheriie; "Rio,” Basil Rathbone, Victor MeLaglen. Tivoli (Thorndon). —“Babes on Broadway,” Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland; "Dangerous Moonlight." Empire (Island Bay).—“Texas,” Glen Ford, Claire Trevor; "Sing For Your Supper.” Rivoli (Newtown). —"Pimpernel Smith," Leslie Howard; "They Jlet in Argentina,” James ' Ellison. Maureen O'Hara. Kincmu (Kilbirnic).—“Great. American Broadcast," Alice Faye, Jack (Inkle; ".Mad 'Doctor of Market Street,” Lionel Atwilt, thia Merkel. Capitol (Miramar). —“That Night in Rio,” Don Ameclie, Alice Faye: “The Gay Falcon,” George Sanders, Wendy Barrie. King George (Lower Hutt). —“When Tomorrow Comes,” Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer. De Luxe (Lower Hutt). —’Top Sergeant,” Leo Carillo. Andy Devine; "World Premiere.” Frances Farmer, Eugene Pallelte. Prince Edward (Woburn). —George Bernard Shaw’s “.Major Barbara,” 'Wendy Hiller, Rex Harrison. Regal (Karori). —“To Be Or Not To Be,” Carole Lombard, .Lack Benny.