FINES TOTAL £2590

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 October 1941, Page 6

FINES TOTAL £2590

f BIG SCALE POLICE RAID ON WELLINGTON PAKAPOO DENS. FIFTY MEN BEFORE COURT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Though he agreed with counsel, Mr J. Meltzer, that the housing conditions in the Mount Cook district of Wellington were “deplorable,” Mr J. L. Stout, in the Magistrate’s Court today, did not think that was any excuse for the playing of pakapoo, for offences in connection with which he fined fifty men, mostly Chinese, a total of £2590. The charges arose from the biggest raid ever made by the police against pakapoo dens in Wellington. Led by Detective-Sergeant W. McLennan and Sergeant A. E. Kearton, about sixty uniformed police and detectives raided 31 houses in the Mount Cook area early last night. The body of the court was filled with Chinese today, when 45 of them were charged, all pleading guilty. Eighteen of them, who had previous gaming convictions, each were fined £lOO for keeping common gaming houses; four, with no previous gaming convictions, each were fined £5O for the same offence, and nine, with no previous convictions of any sort, also were fined £5O, for the same offence. One was fined £5O for assisting in keeping a gaming house, and thirteen were each fined £5 for being found in gaming houses. All the accused were represented by Mr Meltzer. Five Europeans each pleaded guilty to being found in gaming houses, and were fined £5. One Chinese, who was charged with being an assistant keeper, and two, who were charged with being found in gaming houses, were remanded until Friday, as they pleaded not guilty, and a number of Europeans will appear later on summons as a result of[ the raids.