Post by NZBC on May 23, 2015 10:17:32 GMT 12
EIGHT CHINESE FINED OPIUM SMOKING PREMISES BUILDING BARRICADED Five Chinese gardeners, two laundrymen and a fruiterer were each fined £l2 10s and costs, in default one month's imprisonment, when they appeared before Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.Mr, in the Police Court yesterday, charged with being found on April 6 without lawful excuse on premises at 55 Grey's Avenue used for the smoking of opium.
Another laundrymnn, Fong Slice, aged 3-f, who was charged with being the occupier of the premises and permitting them to be used for the smoking, of opium, was remanded until Saturday.
The defendants, who pleaded guilty, were Ching Duck On, fruiterer, aged 39, Gin Sing, gardener, aged 35, Ah Sew, laundrvnian, aged 43, Ah Fong, gardener, aged 36, Ah Cliee, gardener, aged 44, Ah Lie, gardener, aged 32, Lee Min, laundrvnian, aged 41, and Ah Young, gardener, aged 43. Detective-Sergeant McHugh said that at 4.30 p.m. on April 6 a number of detectives visited 55 Grey's Avenue and had difficulty in entering the promises, as they were heavily barricaded. They finally gained entrance through the roof, and found that the place smelt strongly of opium. Seven opium pi pes were found hidden under the floor. None of the Chinese denied that they were there for the purpose of smoking opium. The defendant Ching Duck On was in a very bad way from the effects of opium, and said he could not stop smoking it. Mr. thingyson, who appeared for defendants, said these men, wrongly according to the law, went to the place to imbibe opium, which had the effect of deadening their sorrows for the time being. Mr. thingyson asked* that as light a fine as possible should be imposed, as the smoking of the drug was confined purely to Chinese, and the morals of the community were not affected. After the magistrate had imposed the fines, counsel asked if he would allow defendants' time to pay. "No, I will not," said the magistrate. "Probably if they have not got the money it will be better if they go to prison for a month and get the opium out of "their systems." paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19370415.2.171&srpos=20&e=-------100--11----0ching+fruiterer-- New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22703, 15 April 1937, Page 15