The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-04-22
TEA HOUSES Do
SOME TALL
THINKING
Activity of Inspector Fennell Is
Having a Salutary
Effect.
STILL LOOKS SUSPICIOUS
Liquor is Found at Hotels Which
Have No Licenses to
Serve 1t.
STILL LOOKS SUSPICIOUS

The proprietors of the japanese hotels
which have been under suspicion in con.
nection with violations of the liquor
law have, fguratively speaking, taken
to the tall timbers, and though there is
every indication that many of them are
still dispensing spirituous liquors with.
out licenses, they are doing SO far less
openly than has been the practise here.
tofore.
AS the proprietors of those hotels
have served only to their countrymen,
it has been practically impossible to
secure convictions. There has been
ample evidence against them, but none
of a nature which would hold in court
of law. The following translation of
an editorial in the Hawaiian Japanese
Chronicle of recent date would seem to
amount practically to an admission that
the law has been violated, but it also
shows that the active campaign against
Illicit liquor selling is having its effect:
"Persistent investigations for Illicit
sale of liquors., recently started on the
Japanese tea houses and hotels, with
frequent intrusons into the rooms oc.
cupied by their patrons, have brought
about panic among the tea houses
and hotels, especially the tea houses,
extremely frightened, are in such a
state that they can not, even for a
moment, rest at ease. On the other
hand, the customers, in anticipation of
unexpected intrusions and possibility of
being called as witnesses in a court
naturally entertain such fear that they
are now Withholding and refraining
themselves from visiting the tea
houses. In order to restore this in
animated condition of their business
the three tea houses, namely, Shinro
(Hirano), Akebono and AZuma have
agreed to take united action to the eff
feet that hereafter the liquors are Il
be bought by the customers themselve
with their own money and the tet
houses not to furnish the liquors to the
customers, except merely to act as
agents. They have also decided that
the tea houses will receive, in addition
to ordinary charge for tables and foods
reasonable fee in nature of rent fol
the rooms used by customers.
"It is to be hoped that the arrange,
ment will put an end to further prose.
cution of these tea houses.p
The Hirano and Akebono hotels have
been under suspicion for some time, and
on several occasions when the officers
paid unexpected visits there was every
thing to indicate that liquor was being
served, but in each instance it was i'm
possible to secure any tangible evidence
of guilt.
A few nights ago License Inspector
Fennell and an Advertiser man visited
several of the japanese hotels. In one
of them they found a party sitting
around table drinking beer. The host
stated that he had brought the beer
from home with him, but there was
every indication that the party had
been there for some hours and yet there
was frost on the outside of the bottles,
showing plainly that they had just come
off the ice. At another hotel guests
were drinking sake.
In each case there was a plausible
story to account for the presence of
the liquor, but circumstances lent color
to the belief that the beer and spirits
had come from the hotel icechest short
ly before.
In the ice boxes of several Of the
hotels beer was found in large quaint.
ties. Some wonderful stories were told
to explain the presence of the liquor
but the very elaborateness of the yarns
was enough TO excite suspicion.
There seems to be but little hope OF
securing evidence which can lead tC
convictions but License Inspector Fen
nell is keeping the suspected hotels un
der most embarrassing espionage ant
though the law may be violated thu
violations are not as open as they have
been in times past.
II is reported that at least one of tn,
japanese wholesale liquor houses ha
announced that it will furnish no NOR
beer TO the suspected hotels. There ar,
plenty Of other establishments whicl
enable mine host 10 keep his ice bo,
nllad howaver