A WORKING MAN'S CLUB

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 128, 8 September 1910, Page 4

A WORKING MAN'S CLUB

FURTHER ALLEGATIONS AND

I DENIALS. % —Press Association. r Christchurch, Last Night. " The inquiry into the conduct <Sf theSydenham Working Men's Club was continued to-day, when further evidence was given on behalf of petitioners.. James Gray,, a carpenter, living next door to the Club, stated that on several, occasions he made complaints about the foul language indulged in by tho*e frequenting the Cluib. There had l&en a great improvement in the management during the past six months. The bar was always lighted up on Sunday nights. Prior to Avery's allegations,. JUfoed Marsh, the previous custodian of the Club, gave evidence regarding card playing for drinks, gambling and drunkenness, and stated that lie had known of supplies in the losker, being replenished on Sundays. In reply to tlie Commissioner, he stated that he could not say that he had seen any, of the'members under the influence of drink on Sundays. Mavfield (recalled), stated that he had seen officers of the Club drunk,' and gave names of various officers and members of the committee whom he hnd seen with "more liquor than was- good for them." TJ I '*, Co,lf ' U( led the evidence on behalf of the petitioners with the exception of other witnesses, who would onlv appear if their evidence was taken incamera. * Tlie Commissioner said it was impossible to grant the application. Mr. Russell, for the Club called John Hooker, president of the Club,- who stated that in order to prevent drunkenness the liquor of any person on whom the slightest sign of liquor \yas observed, was stopped. The Club was conducted in a proper and orderly fashion, and the use of bad language was not allowed. ■*, ™ s , he kncw ' 110 li( luor was soldi in the \Club on Sundays. To Mr Flesher he stated that he had a part share in a locker, and bought liquor on Saturday nights, and put it in the locker himself. The Club had been endeavouring to reform itself for the past five or six years. Personally, he thought it desirable that the Club should be closed on Sundays. Samuel Shoknmn, chief custodian of the Club for the past three and a half yea.rSj stated that he never had any serious difficulty in respect to stopping liquor to piembers at all under the influence of drink. Bad language was not ofted heard and no liquor was sold on Sundays. With one exception, the barhad never been lit up on a Sunday night during s the last 18 months. 'He had never seen gambling on the premises. To Mr. Flesher he stated, that he believed he had stopped liquor in about, a dozen cases weekly on one occasion. He stopped the supply of one committee man. Thomas Wiltshire, an ex-president, stated that during the last year drunkenness had been put down with a strong' hand, and there was no sale of liquor on Sundays. He denied that he had ever -purchased a shilling's worth of whisky on a Sunday. George Wm. Jones, a trustee of theClub for 2 years, considered it was well conducted. He had seen drunkenness in the Club, but not frequently. , Hilary Clark stated that he had lived near the Club for eleven or twleve years and had not seen or heard anything about the Club of which a complaint could 1)6 made. Mr. Wm. Barr, a member of the Richmond Club, said he had never seen'-any indications of drunkenness in the Sydenham Club, in which he bad been at nearly all times of the day. John Gulliford, a member of the Sydenham Club, stated that~he was in the Club for four or five evenings weekly. There was no drunkenness in the Club. The only cases he had seen were «of mencomin'g from town in an intemperate state. The inquiry wft,s adjourned.