Settlement May Be Near

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31499, 13 October 1967, Page 1

Settlement May Be Near

The dispute between barmen and hotel licensees over extra payment for bar staff working until the late closing hour of 10 p.m. which came into force on Monday may be settled at a meeting of the two national executives in Wellington this morning.

Most hotels in Christchurch again closed all bars at 7 p.m. yesterday.

A two-hour meeting was held in Christchurch yesterday afternoon, attended by the secretary of the Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union (Mr L. N. Short), the assistant secretary (Mr C. C. McCready), and the executive of the Canterbury Hotel Association. It was called at Mr Short’s request. The president of the association (Mr A. F. G. McGregor) said last evening that no agreement was reached. But it was agreed that certain aspects of the discussion might be referred to a meeting of the executives of the New Zealand Hotel Workers’ Federation and the Hotels’ Association of New Zealand in Wellington this morning. Mr Short said that the meeting of the national executives would be held in Wellington if the Hotel Workers’ Federation requested the Hotels’ Association to hold a meeting. Mr Short and Mr McGregor are ready to fly to Wellington this morning. Mr Short said that a tentative agreement had been reached in Christchurch, subject to the national bodies agreeing that any such settlement would apply to the whole of New Zealand. Mr Short said that if no liquor were available and no barmen ready to serve it between 7 p.m. and 10 pjn. today and tomorrow there

could be ugly scenes, resulting in the police being called in. Mr Short said that he and his executive were well aware of the risk, and were anxious to avoid it. This evening and tomorrow evening all workers would have received their pay and be wanting to have a drink in the evenings. If they were frustrated, there could very well be disorderliness leading to lawlessness.

New Brighton Complaint

Mr J. E. Tucker, a watersider, of 5 Eureka Street, New Brighton, said yesterday that he was unable to get a drink at the Bower Hotel when he called there at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. “The hotel was shut, and in darkness. I went to the New Brighton Police Station and complained to the elderly constable there,” Mr Tucker said. “I said I wanted to make a written complaint because the licensee of the hotel, Mr D. Madden, had not kept at least one bar, a public one, open to 10 p.m. I told the constable I was prepared to bring my lawyer down. “The constable said they had been instructed not to take any complaints until tomorrow.

“You can imagine my disgust when I read a report in "The Press’ the next day in which Inspector L. W. R. O’Neill, at the Christchurch Central Police Station, said that no specific complaints about hotels being closed that evening had been received, ’ Mr Tucker said.