Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-09-14
BOOZE BOARD Holds
HOT AIR SESSION
Meets With Wholesalers
To Discuss Blind
Pig Question

wholesale liquor dealers, during
which hot air aower freely and moth
ing much was accomplished. The
only feature of the meeting was the
covert threat of Chairman Ballen-
tyne, directed at Scotty Weston, in
which he limited broadly that next
year when scotty's application for
renewal of his license comes Up
again, there will be something do
ing.
Ballentyne cant get over the fact
that this particular restaurant APP
pears to be making money. 1t hurts
him, and at every session of the
Board the matter comes up In one
form or another. Scotty's license
and the law under which It is grant
ed. give him the right to sell drinks
with or without meals. but that
makes no difference to Ballentyne.
He thinks the restaurant keeper
ought to obey his wishes, regardless
Of what the law says or intends.
Scotty's was not mentioned by name
yesterday, but the reference was I'M
mistakable when Ballentyne spoke OF
the restaurant where drinks are sold
without meals. The sight of a large
number of the sailor boys in the res
taurant last Sunday Jared on the
Commission and they can't get over
1t. There seems to be feeling that
the sailors of the United States navy
have no right to go to a decent place;
they ought to be confined to the
joints of Iwilei and the japanese and
Chinese saloons. and the haole res
taurant keeper who dares to sell them
drinks and meals ought to lose his
license. But Scotty says ne intends
to go on doing as he has done aud
treating Jack as II he were a human
being and as good as any member OF
the Booze Commission.
The real object of the meeting
yesterday, as stated by Ballentyne,
was to consider the matter of blind
pigs and to endeavor to find some
way OF Kidding the city OF them. But
nothing resulted beyond the exchange
of hot air. Everybody was very
nice to everybody else." is the way
one of the wholesalers put It. The
Board wanted to get some informa-
ton from us, SO 1t treated us very
nicely"
"Did 1t get the information"
We'll, not so you could notice It,"
eaid the wholesaler.
In opening the meeting, Ballen-
tyne stated that the Board had been
informed that there is good deal of
Illicit selling going on, and thought
that the assistance of the wholesalers
might be enlisted In the matter OF
expressing the business. He thought
the wholesalers own interest lay in
protecting the licensed retailers
who are their customers and the
BOARD therefore expected help from
them.
William Lishman, of Macfarlane q
Company, said his firm did not know
ingly sell to blind pigs. But the re-
tailers have the same right to sell in
any quantity that the wholesalers
have. and 80 the blind pig business
could go on without the wholesalers
selling a drop to them. He thought
the blind pig business is carried on
principally by Asiatics, who buy
their liquor from Asiatic wnolesal-
ers.
Lishman thought the Board made
mistake at the very start by limit
ing the saloon district and leaving
thickly settled districts. like Punch
bowl, without any saloons.
A. J. Wirtz, of Hackfeld & Com
pany, made a covert thrust at some
of the other wholesalers whom he
denominated as "jobbers," saying he
thought the jobbers responsible
largely for the existence OF blind
pigs. 1.-THE jobber," he said. lis a
dealer who sells in wholesale guam
titles and less. even in retail guam.
titles. A wholesale dealer in my
opinion is one who will consider 1t
beneath his dignity to sell In less
than wholesale quantities, and
wholesale quantities are not less than
the original package
r. ]. Buchly, Of w, c. Peacock &
Co., agreed with Lishman that the
issuance of more retail licenses would
aid In doing away with blind pigs.
He said his firm would be glad to do
all in Its power to aid the Board.
d. II. Lewis of Lovejoy a Company
did not think that the issuance of re-
tail licenses would necessarily do
away with blind pigs. A man disposed
to sell would take good many
chances to avoid paying the $1,000
license fee.
Ballentyne thought the police to
blame for part OF the Illicit selling.
The police might do more than they
do" he said. II believe that they
have never taken the initiative In
any case in the enforcement of the
present law. At the same time, the
force Is small; there are many de-
mands on 1t and 1t has neither num-