SOFT DRINKS' DISPUTE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 106, 3 May 1912, Page 6

SOFT DRINKS' DISPUTE.

EOTELKEEPEKS TO ESTABLISH OWN FACTORY. CHARGED TOO MUCH FOR AERATED WATERS. Some discussion ha.- arista of late among the local publicans and the j a. r_i,. water mauuia>*' un r- owing to :. -t a.re deemtd to -. mc exorbitant i [.rices charged by ihe utti r fur their I ":u:i ta*.-k.'' Avi.orJ.ag to informa.t.uu obtained by a " >;.u' " reporter in various quarters, it appears that some loiie ago there v. as keen competition -aiong the aeraiej water people for the custom of the i.otel keepers. >o acute. did it become that Drices got right down io a " cut-throat " liisia, and the aerated water sellers decided that, rucii a stale j of affairs could continue no longer. They I therefore held a conference, u.i the re- ! salt of which they iufurnied. the holelkeepers that henceforth the prices ciuiTjred were to be 1/9 a Jozen for ;>oz. bottles, 2/ for lOoz., and \j. '■'* for -J.-oz.. and so —roughly an increase ot :roin GO to 100 per cent. In addition to the increase io was proposed that, the Lotelkeepera should be Lei i responsible lor the broken bottles. Naturally the publicans were i onsider- ; ably surprised to receive the Intimation i of such a large increase. Had the ajvan.i- been what they deemed .i reason- j able one. they would probably not ha » ■ uojec.ed, a≤ they were fully auare that at the prices at which the m;inu..i. uire.s had been supplying the soft drinks they i could not be making them pay. The i Licensed Victuallers" Association met to . discuss this proposed increase, and de- I cided to suggest that a conference between the two trades should be arranged. To their surprise, however, the aerated people deputed only one of their ; number to meet the hotel-keepers, in- j stead of all meeting them. During the ( conference the licensed victuallers ex- i plained that the meeting had been ar- ; ranged wholly and solely with a view to I brinsinsr about an amicable settlement. i A lntle later a letter was received, from the aerated water makers, stating that they had considered the hotelkeepers' request for a reduction in: prices, but had unanimously decided to i adhere to the prices previously fixed. : The hotel-keepers met and again dis- j cussed the matter, and decided that, as | i: was impossible to pay the prices j asked for, they would establish a plant I of their own. A sub-committee was. I therefore, appointed to go fully into the ! proposal, and it was decided that the I venture be called the Auckland Licensed I Victuallers' Aerated Water Factory, j and that the capital be £3.000 at £1 \ a share. It was decided not to enter into competition with the shops or any- \ thing of that sort, but only hotel-1 keepers would be allowed to join the company, and then only for the time they were actually the licensees of hotels. It was further resolved that only a fair paying price should be | charged for the aerated waters turned J out. and that they be sold only to hotelkeepers. So enthusiastically was the project taken up among the publicans, that by the second day after the announcement or the formation of the company the whole of the necessary capital had been o ye r-subscribed. Th-? factory will be on the lines of similar establishments in Sydney and | Melbourne, where lemonade and such, like drinks are able to be sold from the factory at from 3d. to 4d. per dozen (exclusive of bottles). Already " two aerated water factories and plants are under offer to the company, and at a meeting to be held on Monday the offers will be considered.