SLY-GROG CASES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10639, 18 May 1912, Page 6

SLY-GROG CASES

Alt the S'.M. Court yeetorcay' morning, before Mr L. G, Eteid, S.M., Albert Duske was charged that'- 1 between March 26th and May 9th, 1912, at M'aster.toti', he did keep liquor. for sale within ithe no-license district of Mastertcn.. .

[There was no appearance cf defendant, and Mr G. H. Oullen said that he had been retained to defend the case. ' The previous night defendant was, lie understood., in Master ton, and he could not account for defendant's non>-a.ppearance. Lionel -McCarthy was charged with a similar offence between' March 25th and May 9th, 1912, and that between April 2&li and May 9th, 1912, within the no-license district of Masiertemj, did permit a building under his control to be used for the purpose of storing liquor for another person. There was no appearance of McCarthy, and Mr Cullen said he appeared for accused, and had to make the same statement as in regard to Duske.

It was decided ,to take the cases together. Sergeant Miller stated that on Msy Bth, at 0.40 p.m., he- saw McCarthy at Remington's- boarding house. He spoke fo defendant about g-tMin.'v bc-i-r wflien' at Reed's boarding ho.i-se, and defendant replied that he went icoasionally to Cartertoni and got three or four bottles each time. Defenclnn'-s-aid .that at Easter he obc.ii.ed t\'o dozen of beer at one hotel in Carterton.. This -liquor.was consumed at Reed's boarding house. Delendant stated that Reed had subsequently turned him out. 'Abuit i.lo pin, on May 9th, accompani-'d by Constable Browm, witness saw Duske in a hutin- Castle Street. Duske had four bottles of beer ir> his pockets 1 , and there were two sacks of beer ;n The Oiut. There' -was'no furniture in the building. Accused said that he had bought the five dozen bottles of bur at Carterton, but subsequently stated that two dozen- had been obtained' in Carterton and three dozen from Taratahi. Duir.ke said that tbe .four bottles which lie had in his pockets he intended to consume. The hut, defendant etated, was l rented by , his mats -McCarthy to keap beer in, but they did not sell beer. Subsequently the Sergeant saw McCarthy, who denied that half the beer belonged to him, as stated by 'Duske. McCarthy produced a document signed by Duske that- the beer belonged to the -latter. This concluded the case. "Sergeant Miller pressed for the full penalty, as these men, as well as certain others, were coming within the meaning of the Vagrancy Act. Mr Cullen: "There are places in this town wheiy liquor is being sold to-day *as openly as it was in the days of the public .bar. and it would suit the police better to give attention to ; these indiv'idaials who are making a good thing out of the business instead of ohtoofiing .sound hard-working young men who are not 'selling liquor."

Hiis Worship said that- he had no doubt- that the liquor had been kept for sale. He would fine Duske £2O and costs 13s 6d, in • default one month's imprisonment. On the second charge - McCarthy would be convicted.

An- order was made to have the liquor which had been seized destroyed. •-:■:- V