Page 1 Advertisements Column 5

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2010, 20 February 1907, Page 1

A LICENSING CASE. SELLING LIQUOR TO A MAORI WOMAN. The charge against John Satil Cooper, licensee of the Hot Springs Hotel, Mororo, of supplying a Maori with a cask of boor on January -I last, created a great deal of interest. 'The case was heard at Wairoa before Mr. Barton, S.M., Mr. Coleman, of Gisborne, appearing for the defence. Mori Tolu said ho was a native living at Ntdinka. He kept a store and billiard saloon. He remembered driving to the Hot Springs Hotel with three others, Paihou, Rowi Mete and Holiora In Kahn. They had some diinks, and they took a cask of beer av.ay with them. lie asked defendant for a cask of beer, and he refused to give it to him because he. was a Maori, and said Maoris could not take liquor away from, the premises, hut half-castes could. Nothing a,as said by him to defendant about money. Witness went outside and gave £:fi to Ildwi Mete to get the beer. Defendant did not see him give the money to Rewi. Rawi was living as a European on Crown land in a weatherboard house . ,Rcwi was married to a Maori woman, and cliew the section lie was living on by ballot. By Mr. Coleman: Rowi speaks English well, and trades with the pnkclins. He saw Cooper in the parlor. not the bar, and witness entered a horse with him for the Wairoa show, and got prize money from him for the Nuhaka show. By police: When defendant refused to give him the cask of beer lie went outside and arranged for Rewi to got it. Defendant'did not particularise Rewi when he said halfcastes could take liquor from the premises. Rewi acted as witness’s interpreter when he entered his horse for the show. By Bench: Rewi had interest in sheep on his land. He did hush-fall-ing and ploughing, and didn’t live in common with the Maoris.

Rowi Mete said he was a farmer living with his father at Tahaemii. Witness corroborated the previous witness as to driving to the hotel with three others. Acted as interpreter between Hori Telii and defendant in reference to entering a horse for the Wairoa show, hut heard nothing about a barrel of beer. When they went outside Hori gave him £5 and asked him to get a barrel of beer. He went and got the beer, and they took it away with them. His father and mother were both half-castes. In the house lie lived in his' two brothers and his father with their wives also lived. By Mr. Coleman: He farmed the section which was his own. The nearest house was 10 chains away. He lived like a pakeha, and there were no pas in the neighborhood. He and his relatives had teams carrying on the roads. Five men lived within 10 chains of his i lace. By Bench: Flo had been living in his present house over 10 years. Paora IFopi said he was a native fanning at Null aka. He know Rewi Mete, who was a relative of his. Rewi, his two brothers, their father, and their wives lived in the house. There was a largo meeting house three chains away, and four people were living in it. llcwi lived the same as other Maoris about there. By Mr. Coleman: Rewi lived European fashion. Henry William Baker deposed he

was a licensed nati/e iliter]'.rcter. He know Rewi Mete and his parents and where they lived. They lived as Maoris in European houses Constable Torr, sworn, said he knew Rewi Mete. His family were recognised as Maoris and followed the native customs going to tangis. By Mr. Coleman: The Maoris were very progressive at Nuhaka. Constable Luke said he knew Rewi Mote, who lived with his father at Tahaonui. They lived tho same as the other Nuhaka natives. Rewi’s companions were principally natives. Since Rewi had obtained the cask of beer defendant had asked witness whether the Smiths were living as natives. J. S. Cooper said ho was the licensee of the Hot Springs Hotel. He remembered the 4th January last. Ilori Tclii did some show business with him in the sitting-room. No reference was made to a barrel of beer. Some time afterwards. Rewi Mete came and got a cask of beer, paying £5 fo.r it. There was nothing spiid or done to lead to the supposition that Hori was interested in tho beer. He supplied Rewi because he was a half-caste living as a European. He dealt a good deal with the family, and had done so about seven years. He got his corn, chaff, and potatoes from them and all their accounts

jveio in English. Reivi often had it eals at the hotel, and conducted himself as a European. Ho had had a Government section about three years on which he ran sheep, and the family had teams carting along the road. By Police: The money was paid to himself by Rewi. He authorised his son to give the barrel, 18 gallons, to Rewi, Thomas Charles Webb said he was Stock Inspector. He knew Rewi Mete by sight. He had called at the Smith’s house, and they lived in a European house, furnished in European style. He had had.meals there served up in European fashion. Henry George Webber said he was a telegraph linesman, stationed in a telegraph liensman, stationed in Wairoa. Ho knew Rewi Mete and his family. He had known them some 22 or 28 vears. They wore living at present in European style, and be had stayed with them. By Police: Knew Rewi well, and was intimate with the family. Rewi’s wife was the daughter of Hangaroa, and had been educated at the I Inhere re Girls’ School at Napier. Tie himself had never lived with the Maoris. His Woiship said that section 16 of the Licensing Act, 1904, pro-' vided that a half-caste ,living as a European was entitled to take Honor from licensed premises. The whole question v as whether Rewi Mete was living as a European. In the face of the evidence he had no option but to dismiss the information.

Acceptances for the Newmarket Handicap and Australian Cup came to hand on Tuesday last', and the lists of horses cabled show that strong fields are still engaged in both races. Though Solution was dealt out the severe impost of 9st. 121 b in the Newmarket Handicap she lias been left in flic big sprint race; and possibly she may be given an opportunity to beat the weight-carrying record attaching to the Flemington race. If Solution’s impost can be dubbed sevoro, so also can that term be applied to the weight (9st_. 51ln) opposite the name of Collarit. No previous thrce-year-old has, I think, ever been allotted such a weight; but, nothing daunted, the owner has lcit him in. The New Zealand-bred Captain Shannon cannot be voted otherwise than nicely treated with 7st. 121 b., and all being well with him on the day he should lie able to take a hand in the settlement of tho question. The four-year-old Grenadier, who also hails from Maoriland, will, by all accounts, prove a terribly hard horse to heat if he can bo got to the post all right, for with only 7st. -81 b. ho is a much-favored horse. The Australian Cup list is still headed- by May King with 9st. 71b., and Dividend (9st\ 31b.) is also found holding his position, the latter being now followed by Solution (Sst. 111 b). The fact of Solution being left in the longdistance handicap would appear to. point- to her being estimated by her party to bo a better stayer than her critics make out by the failure that went down against' her name in the Melbourne Cup in the spring. Poseidon having been withdrawn, Antonins now has the distinction of being the most heavily-weiglitcd three-year-old engaged. The Bst. 71b. allotted to Antonins represents 71b. over, weigkt-for-age, so that it may he said lie has a stiff task. The Auckland-bred Putty is engaged iu the Cup with 7st. 121 b. The fact of "Putty having won over two miles must, I suppose, be taken to stamp him as a stayer; but still I ahl still a little dubious as to his ability to win an Australian Cup, tho distance of which extends to 18 furlongs.—Phaeton, in N.Z. Herald WHY GO HUNGRY. If your stomach is weak and you are suffering from indigestion, don’t sacrifice your health and comfort. Eat all tho wholesome food you want. Then take'one'of Dr. Sheldon .s Digestive Tabules after eacli meal. They digest your food and thus nourish and build you up, while the stomach is recovering its natural tone. Eor sale by A. W. J. Mann, Agent, Chemist. Sykes’s Drenching Tube, for administering Sykes’s Drench, price Js