Beer Stocks Until Tuesday

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31728, 11 July 1968, Page 1

Beer Stocks Until Tuesday

Most Christchurch hotels have sufficient draught beer to last till about Tuesday if the strike by brewery drivers, which began yesterday, continues. Supplies of bottled beer in some city hotels that have taken’ in large stocks in the last week in expectation of a strike, could last till the end of next week.

The secretary of the Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union (Mr L. Short) said he expected that by the end of next week many customers would be forced to switch to drinking spirits. Christchurch hotels had abundant stocks of whisky, gin, brandy and rum. The secretary of the Drivers’ Union (Mr N. Dunnill) said it had been the practice of one spirit merchant to deliver regular but restricted stocks of bottled beer to certain hotels.

The firm, which also owns hotels in Christchurch, has been advised to , keep its bottled beer supplies to the same quantity as before. If this was not done by either the spirit merchants

or the hotel interests, unions would see that hotel workers refused to take delivery of bottled beer from merchants’ stocks, said Mr Short. Mr Dunnill said that brewery drivers had been called on to work till about 10 p.m. on Tuesday night to make urgent deliveries of beer. Drivers on long country runs also worked overtime last evening before going on strike. The draught beer storage capacity of most hotels in Canterbury is from 140 gallons to 1000 gallons. Asked if members of the Drivers' Union other than those employed by New Zealand Breweries, Ltd, would be prepared to carry beer from other destinations, Mr

Dunnill said that this had not been decided. Some union officials were concerned yesterday that attempts might be made to bring beer from independent breweries such as those in Nelson and on the West Coast if the strike was prolonged. Mr Short said that no-one would be able to collect beer from any brewery while the drivers' strike was on. A meeting of brewery workers at 8 a.m. yesterday decided to support the brewery drivers. They decided not to load liquor out.