SUITS AND WHISKY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5103, 21 March 1927, Page 2

SUITS AND WHISKY.

LIQUID PERSUASION.

IN CANVASS FOR ORDERS

P-'ssibly depression in the tailoring trade induced Leonard Alfred Baker, traveller for a Hamilton clothing firm, to conceive the idea of taking a few bottles of whisky with him when on liis rounds throughout the Tokoroa plains.

The police in outlining the case to Mr W. G. Kenrick, S.M., in the Futaruru Court last week stated that complaints had been made by the N.Z. Perpetual Forests, Ltd., in regard to liquor being taken to the Maoris employed in the afforestation camps sonie 40 miles from Putaruru. Investigation resulted in evidence being secured which showed that Baker had been responsible. Charges were then laid which involved Baker.

The magistrate in summing up stated that the matter was a serious one. There had been trouble in camp over it which might have been worse. Several bottles must have been taken in, and it was apparently not good liquor. The case could not be treated as if it had just been one bottle from which the whisky had been given. He had sod the whisky, and sold it at a considerable profit. As evidence in regard to proclaimed areas had been omitted, the charges of supplying were dismissed on this technicality, while the charge of selling to Thompson was withdrawn by the police. On the charge o’f selling to Newton accused was fined £l5, plus £ll 5s costs, and on that of selling to Kakuhiwa £lO, plus 10's costs. Three months were allowed for payment of the first fine and two months for the second.

The charge of selling to Bufty Hamilton was dismissed owing to lack of corroborative evidence, the magistrate remarking that though he had his own opinion on the matter he felt “the police had failed to prove their case.