Christmas Spirits Shortage Forecast

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31234, 5 December 1966, Page 3

Christmas Spirits Shortage Forecast

(New Zealand. Press Association) AUCKLAND, December 4. Auckland is heading for one of its worst shortages of imported spirits since the Second World War. The annual buyer of whisky, rum or brandy stands almost no chance of having his Christmas nip.

This year’s 20 per cent cut on spirits imports has led to rationing throughout the liquor trade for at least two months, but the worst is to come.

The president of the Auckland Wholesale Wine and Spirit Merchants’ Association (Mr D. Corban) said yesterday: “Even the regular customers for imported spirits will find it hard to get anywhere near what they want this Christmas.” He said the 20 per cent cut on the base year of 1956 amounted in fact to a 50 per cent cut because of increased

prices and freight charges. Imports a head had dropped from half a gallon to a fifth of a gallon. “There is not one wholesaler who has not got some form of rationing. Regular customers who buy Scotch, rum or brandy only at Christmas will be unlikely to get any,” said Mr Corban. One Auckland hotel proprietor said Scotch drinkers would find this Christmas the driest since the war.

“We are getting a quarter of what we got last year," he said. “We can’t even buy more from the South Island because it has none to spare.”