Mexborough and Swinton Times, February 24, 1928

“Welfare ” Club.
Illegal Supply Of Liquor.
A Warning.

Issachar Allport, a waiter, of Denaby, was charged at Doncaster on Tuesday with six breaches of the Licensing Consolidation Aot.

Mr. P. C. Burton, prosecuting said that defendant was charged with selling intoxicating liquor on .December 4th, Dec. 7th, and Dec. 18th, to persons who were not members of the Denaby Welfare Institute. On those dates two constables visited the club, walked straight to the bar, ordered drinks and were served. The club was a registered club. The police had decided not to make application for the club to be struck off, but they would do so in the event of any further breach. The club had been repeatedly warned by the police about the admission of non-members.

P.C. Goodburn said that on December 4th in company with another officer, he visited the Welfare Club. He entered about 7.15 p.m., and no one challenged them. They went to the bar and were supplied with drinks without being asked for their membership cards. They had another drink and then went upstairs into a large concert room, whore a concert was in progress. They sat down and defendant served them with further drinks. They had a further three glasses of beer and left the club about 10.15 p.m. They visited the club again on December 11th and December 18th, and had four drinks  on each, occasion and they were never challenged.

Cross-examined by Mr. A. S. Furniss, admitted that there was a notice in the club giving instructions about non-members. There was also a table at the door and people put pennies on it. Some put a copper on the table and others did not. There was a man at the door with a visitors’ book.

Inspector Valley said he raided the club on December 18th and found 468 persons on the premises, including several women. Of those present 83 were non-members who had been introduced by members. Only 28 visitors’ tickets had been issued that day.

Mr. Furniss said that he wished to express the appreciation of the officials of the club and of the colliery for the attitude el the police in this case. The position of the Denaby Welfare Club was, he thought, unique in Yorkshire. By the rules, miners and their wives, who worked at the Denaby or Cadeby Colliery, were members of the club. The subscription was a penny a week, which was stopped at the colliery. There were about 6,200 employees at the collieries and any man entering the club was almost presumed to be an authorised member. The’ Colliery Company had now prepared a card index system, which bad cost between £100 and £150, and there was now a list of registered members for the use of the club. There had been proper doorkeepers as the club, but some of the members threw their pennies on the table without waiting for their names to be entered in the visitors’ book. Once a man went into the club the assumption was that the doorkeeper had done his duty.

The Chairman (Mr. 0. B. Shiffener) said the Bench considered it a very bad case, and the defendant would be fined £30. The Bench considered that there had been very great slackness in. supervision; there seemed indeed to have been none. The officials would have to make some alteration or the club would be struck off. If the police had asked for it they would have been struck off that day.

Mr. Furniss said that he would have those remarks reported to the proper authorities.