BAR HOURS IN WELLINGTON

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26186, 9 August 1950, Page 6

BAR HOURS IN WELLINGTON

EXTENSION OPPOSED BY POLICE

EVIDENCE TO LICENSING COMMISSION

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 8.

An extension of drinking hours in Wellington bars to 6.30 p.m. would not alleviate overcrowding, according to police evidence given before the Licensing Control Commission in Wellington to-day. Sub-Inspector D. R. Sugrue said that if the hours were extended drinkers would just go on drinking longer. Those content with what they could get between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. would be content with what they could get between 5 p.m. and 6.30 p.m.

The primary purpose of hotels, added Sub-Inspectpr Sugrue, was accommodation service' to the public. Consumption of liquor was a secondary consideration. The chairman of the commission (Mr A. M. Goulding) suggested that the average space a man in one bar of 1.4 square feet as quoted by the witness indicated that customers must be standing on one foot. “Do you think that there is more drunkenness than there would be if the bars were not crowded?” he asked.

The witness: Probaoly yes. It is a fact that people push forward to get another drink, whereas if there were tables and they could drink at their leisure they would take their time. Mr Goulding: Is there a tendency to crowd the more modern bars?—No. People have their pet betels. Sergeant C. W. Tanner said that overcrowding had some health drawbacks, and there was a possibility of pickpockets being active in a crowd. The District Medical Officer of Health (Dr. J. P. Kennedy) said that if an attempt were made to standardise the available accommodation in bars, he thought that six square feet a person was a reasonable minimum. He referred to the danger of transferring disease through .glasses. Investigations had shown that quite ’ unsuspected organisms were transmitted.

Mr Goulding referred to the danger of handing over a number of glasses for refilling and their being changed. Dr. Kennedy suggested that a possible remedy was that no glass should be used more than once for each drink.