Post by NZBC on Jan 1, 2011 14:50:44 GMT 12
Evening Post , Issue 17, 21 January 1935, Page 10 OPIUM RAID
AT SUPPER TIME
FIVE ARRESTS MADE
HEAVY FINES IMPOSED
"One of the Chinamen told us that if wo had been half an hour earlier or half an hour later we would have got about thirty of them. The time we ■went there -was a bad time because a lot of them had gone out for supper." This statement, made by Sergeant Edwards in.the Magistrate's Court today, explained why only five Chinese were arrested by a police party, which raided a house in Ilaining Street shortly after midnight last night in search of opium. Fines totalling £175 were imposed upon them by Mr. W. F. Stilwell, S.M., on charges connected with the smoking of opium. The raiding party was in charge of Sergeant* Edwards, and consisted of Sergeants O'Donnell and Black, and Constables Paget, Downes, and Moore. They forced their way into the premises through an upstairs back window and confiscated a large number of pipes, "slush lamps," some opium, and "seconds." The usual large and excited crowd soon collected outside the premises, despite the lateness of the hour. In the Magistrate's Court today, Chung rook Yum, aged 35, who was described as an opium den keeper, was charged with permitting premises in Haiuing Street to be used for the purpose of smoking opium,"and with being found in possession of prepared opium. Ho pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined £75, in default three months' imprisonment, on the former, and the minimum of £25 on the latter. Wai Leung, aged 40, a fruiterer, pleaded guilty to being found in possession of prepared opium, and was fined £25; and guilty to boing found without lawful excuse on premises used for tho smoking of opium, being fined £12 Three Chinese who pleaded not guilty to being found on the premises without lawful excuse, were each fined £12 10s They were Joe Ching, aged 28, a gardener, .Too Shang, aged 25, a fruiterer, and Ngan You,' aged 37, a fruite.icr. - ■. . ' : Senior-Sergeant' IV J. O'Neill conducted the prosecution, and Mr. A. i: Hogg appeared for all the accused. PLACE WAS BARRICADED. Senior-Sergeant O'Neill said "that when the raiding party arrived at the house in Haining Street at' 12.20 a.m. they rang the doorbell but could not gain admittance. The .place was heavily barricaded and they could smell the fumes of opium. There was an exit platform on the upper storey which connected with the house next door. A constable and a sergeant climbed,on to this and from it went through a small window into the house. As soon as they got in they saw Wai Leung with a tin of opium and a number of pipes in his hands. He dropped them on tho floor when, he saw the police. The place was equipped for the smoking of opium,. continued the seniorsergeant. There were the usual raised platforms with head rests, six- "slush lamps," eleven pipes, and other paraphernalia. Yum told the .police that be was the keeper of the premises, and Wai Leung appeared to have an interest in the place. In the room was a^bag containing opium, "seconds," and the bowl of a pipe, which no one would claim," and in a desk on the premises was found a tin containing • fifteen "rations" of opium, some of- which were sold at 2s 6d and others'at ss. When he was searched at the Mount Cook Police Station. Yum was found to have prepared opium, and "seconds" in his possession. Yum had loft a business here to go to China, said Mr. Hogg, and when he returned to New Zealand he found his occupation gone and he was unemployed for eight or ten months. Tho only business ho could find was tho illegal opium traffic, so he purchased the business from another Chinese some months ago. He found this business very poor. The amount of paraphernalia seized was no indication of 'the extent of his activities, for the only men there last night were the fivo found by'the police. It was the practice in opium parlours to keep the "slush..lamps" always burning. None of the pipes were warm, as they would have been' had smoking been going on, and there were no Europeans on the premises. Yum was getting on in. years and had a family to support in China. Wai Leung was not assisting in the management of the premises, but had been talkative to tho police because- he was • an interpreter and he took it on. himself to explain the position on Yum's behalf. Yum had never previously been convicted, but Leung had one conviction for a gaming offence, said the seniorsergeant.' "I am satisfied that the establishment was a somewhat more extensive one than usual," said the Magistrate, in fining Yum and Leung. "DEGREE OF LYING." Evidence against the three who pleaded not guilty was given by Sergeants O'Donnell and Edwards and by Constable Moore. Both the sergeants said that they thought several more would have been found on the premises half an hour eiirlier or later than the time the raid was made. Constable Moore' said that ho was first into the premises. The room where the paraphernalia was found Was one large room running atinost the whole side of the building. Of the pipes spread around it three were quite warm and the constable pulled another pipe from a bucket of water at tho top of the stairs. For the defence Mr. Hogg explained that Ngan You, after working late at the fruit shop where he was employed, had set out to find Wai Leung, who was looked.upon as a man capable of giving sound advice on business matters; On the way he met the other two, Ching and Shang, whom he invited to accompany him. They found Leung in the house in Ilaining Street and had not been there long when the police arrived.' After they had entered they knew it was an opium den, but they did not go there to smoke opium. "Looking at them," said counsel, indicating the three accused, "you can see that they arc alert, healthy young men. They assure mo that they have nevor smoked opium and that they were not there for the purpose of smoking it last night." Ngan You and Joe Shang gave evidence in support of Mr. Hogg's statement. . "I am satisfied that there is a degree of lying here which I cannot accept for one moment as an explanation of their right to be on the premises," said the Magistrate. Neither of tho throe had any previous convictions, said Scnior-Sergeaut O'Ncffi. s
AT SUPPER TIME
FIVE ARRESTS MADE
HEAVY FINES IMPOSED
"One of the Chinamen told us that if wo had been half an hour earlier or half an hour later we would have got about thirty of them. The time we ■went there -was a bad time because a lot of them had gone out for supper." This statement, made by Sergeant Edwards in.the Magistrate's Court today, explained why only five Chinese were arrested by a police party, which raided a house in Ilaining Street shortly after midnight last night in search of opium. Fines totalling £175 were imposed upon them by Mr. W. F. Stilwell, S.M., on charges connected with the smoking of opium. The raiding party was in charge of Sergeant* Edwards, and consisted of Sergeants O'Donnell and Black, and Constables Paget, Downes, and Moore. They forced their way into the premises through an upstairs back window and confiscated a large number of pipes, "slush lamps," some opium, and "seconds." The usual large and excited crowd soon collected outside the premises, despite the lateness of the hour. In the Magistrate's Court today, Chung rook Yum, aged 35, who was described as an opium den keeper, was charged with permitting premises in Haiuing Street to be used for the purpose of smoking opium,"and with being found in possession of prepared opium. Ho pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined £75, in default three months' imprisonment, on the former, and the minimum of £25 on the latter. Wai Leung, aged 40, a fruiterer, pleaded guilty to being found in possession of prepared opium, and was fined £25; and guilty to boing found without lawful excuse on premises used for tho smoking of opium, being fined £12 Three Chinese who pleaded not guilty to being found on the premises without lawful excuse, were each fined £12 10s They were Joe Ching, aged 28, a gardener, .Too Shang, aged 25, a fruiterer, and Ngan You,' aged 37, a fruite.icr. - ■. . ' : Senior-Sergeant' IV J. O'Neill conducted the prosecution, and Mr. A. i: Hogg appeared for all the accused. PLACE WAS BARRICADED. Senior-Sergeant O'Neill said "that when the raiding party arrived at the house in Haining Street at' 12.20 a.m. they rang the doorbell but could not gain admittance. The .place was heavily barricaded and they could smell the fumes of opium. There was an exit platform on the upper storey which connected with the house next door. A constable and a sergeant climbed,on to this and from it went through a small window into the house. As soon as they got in they saw Wai Leung with a tin of opium and a number of pipes in his hands. He dropped them on tho floor when, he saw the police. The place was equipped for the smoking of opium,. continued the seniorsergeant. There were the usual raised platforms with head rests, six- "slush lamps," eleven pipes, and other paraphernalia. Yum told the .police that be was the keeper of the premises, and Wai Leung appeared to have an interest in the place. In the room was a^bag containing opium, "seconds," and the bowl of a pipe, which no one would claim," and in a desk on the premises was found a tin containing • fifteen "rations" of opium, some of- which were sold at 2s 6d and others'at ss. When he was searched at the Mount Cook Police Station. Yum was found to have prepared opium, and "seconds" in his possession. Yum had loft a business here to go to China, said Mr. Hogg, and when he returned to New Zealand he found his occupation gone and he was unemployed for eight or ten months. Tho only business ho could find was tho illegal opium traffic, so he purchased the business from another Chinese some months ago. He found this business very poor. The amount of paraphernalia seized was no indication of 'the extent of his activities, for the only men there last night were the fivo found by'the police. It was the practice in opium parlours to keep the "slush..lamps" always burning. None of the pipes were warm, as they would have been' had smoking been going on, and there were no Europeans on the premises. Yum was getting on in. years and had a family to support in China. Wai Leung was not assisting in the management of the premises, but had been talkative to tho police because- he was • an interpreter and he took it on. himself to explain the position on Yum's behalf. Yum had never previously been convicted, but Leung had one conviction for a gaming offence, said the seniorsergeant.' "I am satisfied that the establishment was a somewhat more extensive one than usual," said the Magistrate, in fining Yum and Leung. "DEGREE OF LYING." Evidence against the three who pleaded not guilty was given by Sergeants O'Donnell and Edwards and by Constable Moore. Both the sergeants said that they thought several more would have been found on the premises half an hour eiirlier or later than the time the raid was made. Constable Moore' said that ho was first into the premises. The room where the paraphernalia was found Was one large room running atinost the whole side of the building. Of the pipes spread around it three were quite warm and the constable pulled another pipe from a bucket of water at tho top of the stairs. For the defence Mr. Hogg explained that Ngan You, after working late at the fruit shop where he was employed, had set out to find Wai Leung, who was looked.upon as a man capable of giving sound advice on business matters; On the way he met the other two, Ching and Shang, whom he invited to accompany him. They found Leung in the house in Ilaining Street and had not been there long when the police arrived.' After they had entered they knew it was an opium den, but they did not go there to smoke opium. "Looking at them," said counsel, indicating the three accused, "you can see that they arc alert, healthy young men. They assure mo that they have nevor smoked opium and that they were not there for the purpose of smoking it last night." Ngan You and Joe Shang gave evidence in support of Mr. Hogg's statement. . "I am satisfied that there is a degree of lying here which I cannot accept for one moment as an explanation of their right to be on the premises," said the Magistrate. Neither of tho throe had any previous convictions, said Scnior-Sergeaut O'Ncffi. s