Barmaids' Certificates

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1921, Page 1

Barmaids' Certificates

LICENSEES WARNED

CHRISTCHURCH. July 13

The ago of barmaids now seeking employment cannot be less than thirtyone years or thereabouts, according to Mr S. E. M’Carth.v. S.M. “There is

quite evidently an illicit traffic being carried on in barmaids’ certificates of registration.” lie said in the course of a reserved judgment yesterday.

Percy Maurice Mills, licensee of the Cate rle Paris Hotel (Mr W. E. Tracy), was charged in the Magistrate’s Court oil .Tilly ft with having employed Josephine Martin in the* bar of the hotel while she was not registered as a barmaid : also (alternatively) with having permitted Josephine Martin to serve as a barmaid in llie hotel.

Reviewing the evidence, the Magistrate said in his judgment that Josephine Ma*’lin had represented herself as her sister, Florence Martin, and had

produced a bona fide original certificate of registration issued in favour of the latter. Josephine had possessed herself of Florence’s certificate without the latter knowing it.

“There is nothing said in the case of either -offence as to guilty knowledge on the part of the licensee” said the Magistrate, “ft is nowhere laid down that before he ran he convicted lie must know that the baimaid is unregistered. If he employes an unregistered barmaid, or permits one to serve in the bar whilst it is open tor sale of liquor, the licensee is liable, whether lie has or has not been deceived by the barmaid. The moral which licensees should draw from cases like the present is that not only will intending barmaids personate females with registration certificate's but they mat even forge such certificates. If, therefore, licensees wish to escape conviction under Section 3(5 they must at their peril establish, not only that an applicant for employment lias a genuine certificate but that she is the person named I herein.”

“There is quite evidently, an illicit traffic being carried on in barmaids’ certificates of registration, and licensees must take such precautions as will prevent them from being deceived thereby. Licensees who employ liarmaids should boar in mind that certificates of registration cannot hear a much lalcr date than June 1, HUB. • • • Assuming that thole is no limit as to the age at which barmaids might, fie employed to vend beer in Lars, it would be unreasonable to assume that an.' female would he employed as a barmaid at an earlier age than eighteen. After June 1, BUI, it. became illegal to employ females in bars. That was ten years ago. Section 10 of the Licensing Amendment Act, 1914, makes it unlawful to employ anyone in a bar under the age of twenty-one. Assuming, then, that the average age of barmaids at that time was twenty-four, the average age of those now seeking employment cannot he less than thirty-one years or thereabouts. If therefore a girl of twenty-four presents herself for employment, it is safe to assume she is unregistered within the meaning of the Act.”

Defendant was fined C2 with costs, on the first charge with no endorsement of his license.