SLY GROG CASES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 166, 13 January 1914, Page 5

SLY GROG CASES.

RESULT (IF MUCK PAID. AN INOENIOUS DEFENCE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. Two -.separate charges of sly grog-sel'-iin.' were broii'dil against William I'almer at the Police Court to-ifciv. before llr E. 0. ('alien, S.M., the date of the alleged offences being the 13lh and Hth of December last, and were the outcome of a raid engineered by the jmlice. Defendant kepi a small shop in Mount Eden ltoad, and Constable Potter, with Constable Maisio. vi.-i1.c.l tbe plat", under the guise of travellers with lines of e--seimes. oti more than one occasion. On December IS It■> was earning on a general conversation, when his feliowconspirator dropped in, and. while partaking of a, soft drink, cxnrc-.-cd a wish that, it was '-hard sfitfl'.'' Defendant thereupon produced beer from a jar under the counter, and a woman also ceiere.l the shop, iminiring whether he had anv "booze," .-.iimilhincouslv npeniii-- bpr pu'r-e. Consßibb- Poller did Hie honors of the occasion an 1 tendered ha'lr-a-crown for the drinks. A remark was mule bv ikfeimant that "it would do co till the jar up niriin." and ho put. the half crown e,- the shelf. On Di-eer.hel 14 (Sumlav) tlo- two cniis!;,l,|es went aliHii; ton-ether, and were imited into tlir- 'dining-room. A jar was nroilueed, and a round or two of beer served. Two shiilimis were placed on the table in pavme.'ipf. Thev h'ft. but rcturnod, and wfe hav'u- aiiof.cr drink when v'.ie poke mlf-red.

The defence set up bv Palmer was (hat the liiinor was not sold, but offered bv way of -hospitalit v. and the iiioho.v handed over was accepted onlv on the umlci\t,i:idil!"' (hat if would lie deioted to reliPinf (lie jar to- coiitinuu the "treat in-'' of friendlv visitor*. The premise- oeeiuiied bv Palmer Oil the N-w North Koad. wear its junction with ib- Dominion lioad. were raided by the police yesterday, and « quantity of liquor w-i- seized. Aci-u-ed wns er.iiviet-d rm both (•barges and fined I'2o,