Wine, Spirits, Milk But No Beer

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31530, 18 November 1967, Page 13

Wine, Spirits, Milk But No Beer

(From

DAVID BARBER.

special

correspondent N.z'p.AJ

SYDNEY, Nov. 17. Sydneysiders are adaptable people. They get to work in spite of a bus and train strike. They beat a recent petrol strike; they even got by when the garbage collectors stopped work. But the beer strike, now 10 days old, has cut them to the quick. The last two days—pay day and play day in Sydney—have been wretchedly miserable for thousands. But yesterday and today there was little beer in the clubs and pubs of Sydney. The bars were half empty at lunch-time and in the evening. Beerloving Sydneysiders sipped spirits, wine, cider, and even

champagne—or went home. Although today there appeared to be hope that 1835 striking brewery workers would return to work next week and again supply New South Wales’s 2000 hotels and 1400 clubs, the news was cold comfort to thirsty workers. Every pub was out of draught beer today, many were out of canned and bottled beer, and the crisis tested Australian ingenuity to the limit. Packs of drinkers went on pub crawls in search of the amber liquid that had become worth almost as much as the oil spouting out of Bass

Strait. Convoy loads of bottles and cans continued to come from Melbourne—unaffected by the strike—to slake the thirsts of Sydneysiders. New Zealand Government trade officials even had inquiries about shipping supplies across the Tasman, but that has proved to be totally uneconomic. As the beer pumps ran dry, clubs refused to admit members’ guests, hotels declined to serve the popular 15oz “schooner” of beer, and bottle stores placed “sorry no beer” notices in their windows after rush demands from drinkers

who feared a “dry” Christmas.

In one large club today members served themselves ladles of rum punch at 25c a tot; another club advertised “club claret 15c.”

Some publicans hopefully offered “alcoholic apple cider” on hastily-written posters. The brewers of a worldfamous brand of stout sent mini-skirted girls into the streets, handing out pamphlets advertising their product, and advising that it went well with tonic water, bitter lemon and lemonade.

Winemakers stepped up their newspaper and television advertising, advising drinkers “relieve the bottled beer shortage with the ideal thirst quencher, sparkling white wine.” Even the Milk Board, remembering the old adage about an ill-wind, took halfpage newspaper advertisements suggesting “boost the old spirits with milk,” offering recipes for vodka and milk, Scotch and milk, brandy and milk, and rum and milk, and advising clubs: “You do not need a Milk Board licence to serve with spirits.” Harassed barmaids, abused by drinkers although the strike had nothing to do with them, produced bottles and cans of export beer from iceladen rubbish bins until it ran out.

And in one city pub a truck-driver, wearing shorts, thongs, and a sports shirt, scoffed angrily when told there was no beer.

“Well, give me a bottle of champagne then,” he said. And he drank it, alone, out of a regulation champagne glass.

Bomb Was Salt.— The main ingredient of a “bomb” found on the steps of the Ulster Office in London yesterday before a visit from Princess Alexandra was found later to be salt. An Ulster Office spokesman said that in no way would the parcel have exploded.—London, November 17.