ALLEGED SLY-GROG SELLING.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1918, Page 7

ALLEGED SLY-GROG SELLING.

CHARGES DISMISSED, AWAKINO CASES. i William Oharlea Healy, of Awakino, laborer, was charged in the Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth yesterday that on or about the-12th December lis did sell liquor without being licensed to sell the sane. Accused was also charged with on or about the 12th December, at Awakino, keeping liquor for sale in a certain proclaimed area. He was further charged with on or about the same date unlawfully supplying liquor to a native, Te Reiti, contrary to section 43 of the Licensing Act Amendment Act, 1910. , -Sub-Inspector Hution represented the police and Mr. J. H. Quilliam appeared for accused, who pleaded not guilty on each charge. Te Reiti, a fencer, residing at Te Kuiti, who asked for an interpreter, said he was at Awakino on about December 12 and stayed with accused. While there he purchased one bottle of whiskey for which lie gave,accused £l. Witness.did not know where the whiskey, came. from. He purchased it and took it away for himself and his" friends, > £1 was given Jum by Harry Piko. Witness said the bottle was a black one but he did not know what was on the label. A bottle was produced which witness said was like, the one he purchased. He could not say if the label was the Ba,uie as on the bottle he purchased. witness said the bottle was taken to the milking shed ■ where the whiskey was drunk by witness and Vis friends. Saw accused corning along the road towards the shed. Accused told the natives not to stay where they were but he did not know why he told them to go away. Alter leaving, the milking shed witness went to Arawaka'a homestead. At that time' witness was pretty well intoxicated. A number of bottles of whiskey, were consumed at the cowslied that night. Witness purchased only the one bottle, Healy was staying at the boarding house. Witness, liad seen drinking going on at the boarding house. Healey was not present at the time. To Mr. Quilliam: Witness said he had Been at Awakino five days when he purchased the whiskey from Healey. He was not living at the boarding house but at Arawaka's. He was turned out of the house for attempting to steal from a sleeping man. He did not steal £7 from his sister. He did not know liis sister had accused him of stealing money from her. He had been in gaol twice. The first, time he served a sentence of 12 months for theft. He had been four months out of gaol when lie went from Te Kuiti to Awakino. He did no work at Awakino. He did not know what opinion the Awakino people had ,pf him. He gave no change to Harry Piko because he got' no change when lie purchased the whiskey. On the night in question witness was very drunk. To Sub-Tnspector Hutton: Was partially drunk when he purchased the bottle of whiskey Witness: said he made a statement, which was signed, to Constable McGregor. Mr Qiiilliam asked if an interpreter was present when the statement was made. Accused replied there was not. He could understand the simple words, but was not up to the "high-flown" language of the Court. Harry Piko, of Mokau, said J he was not in Awakino about a fortnight before Christmas. He had never stayed in Awakino. He had been in Awakinti, 'He knew defendant. He had no conversation with defendant about liquor. He had given the previous witness money, not to purchase liquor, but 'because he nsked for it. He remembered being in the eowbails. at Woolf's- property, at Awakino, btH he was not drinking whiskev. Hfl did not remember seeing Healey there. When Constable 'MfcOregor saw witness he told the constable he knew nothing about Healev and his whiskey He saw no one drinking in tho cowshed at Awakino. Constable McGregor, of Mokau, deposed that on the 13th December he saw a ease of whiskey on the mail coach addressed to accused. Tho following day lie went to Awakino and saw defendant, who admitted receiving the whiskey the previous evening and showed the case to witness in his room at the boarding house. The case was not opened. The previous case, received on November 10, was there and was not quite finished. Healey said he had expected • the constable and had kept the cas'n and bottle's to show him. He said the liquor was for himself as lie could not afford to bur liquor for other people. He knew he was. suspected of slv-grog selling. Healey knew the "boys"' had a grudge, against him because he would not ' give them the whiskey. W it'ness said he again saw iTealey at the boarding house at Awakino on Decembet 17. All the bottles were still in the ease except.three. Witness w»nt to Healer's room and saw the ease. There were three hottles empty, and a little taken'ont of a fourth..Healev said heTrad consumed all the liquor himself and had not sold any. Witness.re-' marked at Healer being, sober after conI sliming three bottles of whiskey in so [short a time, and Henley said lie could, drink two bottles a. day without beinff drunk. Onlr one bottle appeared.to hare been recently emptied. One had no smeli of liouor, and the other had a cobweb ov«r it, Healey still maintained thns th> Kettle was one out of tlie put? and tint it might hare eo-itain»'d anvthim;. , Witnev confiscated the oa*c of whiskey and tho enmtr bottles and took them awav. To Mr. Qrillinm: Healer did not upnear to be a drinkim? in.ni/ Witness had never seen him under Mie inilueiice of liquor, Mr. Quilliam submitted that there was nothing in the evidence to sustain ;t charge of keeping liq nor for sale and said the case should he dismissed. The Magistrate, in expressing his concurrence with Mr. QuilliamV riew, said the police appeared to have got hold of a had class of witness. All (hree ciiarges were dismissed. 5