Beer Measures

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25394, 17 January 1948, Page 6

Beer Measures

We print on this page to-day the results gathered by a special correspondent who studied one aspect of the beer trade in Christchurch. It has been laid down by the Price Tribunal that any customer is entitled, whether in the “ public ” or the “ private ” bar of a metropolitan hotel, to receive 12oz of befer for 7d. But in many hotels in the city the policy is, by various devices, to avoid giving this measure of beer to customers and to restrict sales to measures from 7oz to lOoz, according to the locality of the .hotel and the whim of the particular publican. It is true that the average beer-drinker, being an easy-going person, seldom demands the 12oz measure that he is entitled to receive; and even when in rush hours the larger measures (though not as large as 12oz) run out and much smaller ones are substituted, he seldom demurs. And it is, of course, true that the. publican is not bound to supply the 12oz measure unless the customer asks for it. It may be assumed, however, that the Price Tribunal, in fixing a price for beer, fixed what it regarded as a fair and reasonable price for the commodity, having regard to all the factors which contribute to the profit and loss account of the hotelkeeping business; and since beer is the most profitable stock in trade of the business and its main standby, it may also be assumed that the tribunal provided in the price it fixed against the contingency that all beer drinkers might demand the full measure they are entitled to receive for their money. But as beer drinkers in general are not aggressive folk the customers’ tolerance has allowed the publicafis consistently to get away with practices which, if applied to any other trade, would result in most vigorous protests. In general the containers supplied by publicans are smaller than the 12oz measure—many of them are a great deal smaller. The result is not that the customer drinks less beer but simply that he pays a great deal more for it; and the publican is still within his rights in supplying the smaller measure unless the customer insists on his. It is of course “ over to “the customer” to demand his full measure; and the publican banks with confidence on the drinker’s tolerance. Some in the trade seem to be under the misapprehension

that the law regarding measures applies only to “ public ” bars as distinct from “private” bars. The Price Tribunal makes no such distinction. The customer is entitled to 12oz for 7d in any bar; and if 12oz containers are not available, he is still entitled to 12oz of beer, whether it is served in one container or two, or more. In present circumstances the average person spends Is 9d to get what he is entitled to receive for Is 2d. If he is foolish enough to go on doing so, there is nothing more to be said; but it is doubtful if many beerdrinkers realise how much more they are spending than they need to spend. It is in the end up to them.