“COLOUR BAR” INCIDENT

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29068, 3 December 1959, Page 17

“COLOUR BAR” INCIDENT

Hotel Clerk’s ' “Error” MELBOURNE, December 2. The “colour bar” incident is over in Geelong, a seaport city 60 miles south-west of Melbourne. Melbourne newspapers today reported in heavy headlines that the Mayor of Geelong .(Aiderman V H. Andrews) had complained that a Geelong hotel had refused to accommodate a Malayan Colombo Plan student. Mayor Andrews said he was disgusted and disappointed at the action. Told of the incident, the Geelong branch of the AustralianAsian Association decided to protest against the reported treatment of the student But today the licensee of the hotel said it was a mistake made by the booking clerk. He produced the hotel register for Monday, when the student. Michael Tan, was turned away, and showed the entry. “Mr and Mrs Thamms.” Then he explained that the Thamms had booked by telephone, almost at the same time as Mr Tan. The clerk confused the two names and allotted the same room to both the Thamms and Mr Tan. he said. The Thamms arrived first, claimed the room, and when Mr Tan arrived, there were no vacant rooms left. “There is no colour bar in this hotel," he said. “Asians are always staying here. A few weeks ago the Pakistan Chief Commissioner of Police and his aides were guests with us."