LIQUOR AFTER HOURS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 September 1922, Page 5

LIQUOR AFTER HOURS.

UNUSUAL THAMES CASE. attempt' to evade law. The Thames Police Court was occupied for two days last week with a number of charged of breaches of the Licensing Act against the licensee of the Warwick Arms Hotel and others, before Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M. Inspector Wohlman, of Hamilton, conducted - the cases for the police, and Mr. Clendon appeared for the defence. There were six charges against R. L. Harvey, licensee of the Warwick Arms Hotel, of selling liquor after hours and keeping open after hours for the sale of liquor on the night of June 27. Three visitors at the same hotel—J. M. Patterson, F. J. Pitt, and H. Hood—were charged with having been on licensed premises after .closing time. The case for the police showed that the three defendants had been lodging at the Shortland Hotel for a couple of days, and that on the night of June 27, finding they were unable to obtain any more drink there, as the licensee had retired to bed at 7.30 o’clock, after seeing them in their rooms, they went outside and crossed the street to the Warwick Arms, which was opposite, and where a friend of theirs was staying. They were booked bed and breakfast, and paid in advance, in the belief that by so doing they would be entitled to have prinks served them. They remained at the Warwick Arms, in company with several others, for a couple of hours. Several songs were given and several rounds of drinks served by the licensee, and which were paid for by two of the defendants and others present. After this the three 7 defendants went out and re-entered the Shortland Hotel, where they spent the night. The magistrate pointed out that the fact of them booking rooms at the Warwick Arms in such a case as this did not clear them from the charge of a breach of the Act, it being only an attempt to evade the law. They had not relinquished their rooms at the other hotel, where they had been staying and where they had left such luggage as they had, and they afterwards returned to their original rooms in the Shortland Hotel and slept there. It appeared to be an obvious attempt to evade the law and spend a jovial evening at the other hotel because the licensee of the Shortland Hotel had retired to bed and they could not get any more drink there. The licensee of the Warwick Arms was convicted and fined £2 on two charges. The three other defendants were convicted and fined £2 each.