Happy With 'The Boys'

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30632, 24 December 1964, Page 1

Happy With 'The Boys '

(From Our Own Reporter) DUNEDIN, Dec. 23. The Otago Hotel Employees’ Union has threatened to have a Dunedin hotel declared “black” unless a barmaid is removed from the public bar.

But, “I am happy where I am,” said Mrs Holly Johnson, the barmaid. “I don’t want to go. The boys wouldn’t like it, and I wouldn’t like to leave the boys.” “The boys” are Mrs Johnson’s customers in the public bar of the Gresham Hotel—-

railwaymen, watersiders and seamen. “Make no mistake about it,” she said, “These boys are as good as anyone, and better than most.”

The licensee, Mr lan Bright, said some time ago the union approached him and said it was not happy to have a barmaid in a public bar, but no action was taken. This week the matter was raised again by the union, and today a deputation from the Otago Trades Council met Mr Bright. He said the deputation at first gave him an hour to get Mrs Johnson out of the public bar.

After discussion the deputation agreed to give him until after Christmas to get something done.

Mr Bright is in something of a dilemma over the whole thing. “Holly has worked here for 18 months and she is entitled to consideration in every way. On the other hand the New Zealand Hotels Association apparently has an agreement covering these cases.” Mr Bright said he had been questioned about employing a barmaid in the public bar when executives of the New Zealand Hotel Association flew to Dunedin last week in in effort to mediate in the Dunedin hotels’ , price war. Tonight the president of the Otago Trades Council (Mr W. T. L. Peart) said: “There’s no story. It’s all been fixed up.”