WINE AND PETROL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 327, 14 September 1932, Page 7

WINE AND PETROL

BOWSER OWNER SELLS BOTTLES OF WINE TO POLICE. FINE OF £10 INFLICTED. Supplying a bottle of wine to the police as well as benzine from his petrol station, led to Joseph Donald Duffy appearing before Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., yesterday. Represented by Mr. E. Roe, defendant pleaded guilty, and was fined £10, and costs 12s. Senior-Sergeant Carroll said that accompanied by Constables Hodge and Roberts he drove to the petrol station at Koutu and bought two gallons of petrol. Constable Hodge asked if he could get a bottle of wine, and was supplied with one at 5s. Armed with a search warrant, the police visited the station later and again bought a bottle of wine. They then searched the premises and found eight bottles of wine. An inquiry from an Auckland wine firm disclosed that in two months and one day 108 bottles of wine had been supplied. "People are inclined to take these sly-grog offenees too lightly," said Senior-Sergeant Carroll, "and in these times of depression some are tempted to try and eke out their means by a bit of sly-grogging." Mr. Roe said that the maximum profit which Duffy could 'have made was ls 9d a bottle. Originally, Duffy's father had had the agency for an Auckland wine firm and the son had taken over the petrol station and to oblige a friend had given him two bottles of wine, and later he had insisted on paying for it. This had encouraged Duffy to sell by the bottle instead of by the case. The only liquid which would ba sold from that petrol station in future would be petrol. The Bench' entered judgment as mentioned.