THE VARIETIES AND THE VAGRANT ACT.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1321, 23 October 1872, Page 2

THE VARIETIES AND THE VAGRANT ACT.

In the Resident Magistrate's Court, Hokitika, Hermann Meyer, appeared to an information charging him that he did, on the'] 2th of October, 1872, knowingly permit and suffer prostitutes to meet together and remain in his licensed hotel, the White House, situate in Weldstreet, contrary to the " Vagrant Act, 1869." Mr Button appeared for the defendant. Sergeant Blanc stated that at half-past ten o'clock on Saturday night, the 12th inst., he was in that part, of- the White' House Hotel which is termed the Varieties. There is a communication to that part from the hotel itself. Witness was in the gallery and saw four prostitutes there, they were watching the performance — the poses plastiques. They remained funtil the representations were over. Witness had known the women a3 prostitutes for a long time. There were persons connected with the Varieties about the place at the time. Breeze was there. Hl3 Worship to witness : Suppose you had seen the -women in a grocer's shop what would you have done 1 Would you have laid an information against the grocer ?

Mr Button said he could not see how the clause of the Act could be made to apply to cases where women of the character described in 'the information attended a theatre to witness the performance. The fact really- was-that it was desired to prevent the performance of th.c poses plastiques, and this was. an attempt to accomplish that object by indirect means.

His Worship said that if the clause were to be supposed to apply to a case such as that before the Court, it would apply equally to case* were women of the kind went into a provision shop. -4|tbelieved that he had dismissed a similarc^so before on the same grounds, Mr Commissioner James said he was under the apprehension that that case was dismissed beoanse it was only proved that the women were in the house on one occasion, and that where there was an habitual frequenting of a place the clause of the Act would apply. His Worship did not consider that it was his place to instruct the Commissioner in what instances the clause. under which thepreseut information was laid .would a PPly> w as plain enough that it did not apply in the present case. . Mr Button thought it was very evident that the clause was intended for such cases, where there was a harboring, a sort of. secret maintaining on the premises of improper characters as described in the Act. As for preventing such women from attending a place of amusement, it waa absurd to think it could be done. As well might an information be laid should any such women attend a concert at the Literary Society, and apples were sold in the room.

His Worship did not think women of that kind were very likely to go there. The information was then dismissed.