WHISKY PRICE RISE

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31763, 21 August 1968, Page 1

WHISKY PRICE RISE

An increase in the price of whisky was announced by Mr B. H. Ballin, president of the Canterbury Wine and Spirit Merchants’ Association, yesterday.

Hotelkeepers will be charged an additional 16 cents a bottle, and this is expected to result in an increase of 25 to 30 cents a bottle in bottle stores and there is likely to be a similar increase in the prices charged to the public buying from merchants.

Hotels are expected to increase the nip prices. At present a whisky in a public bar costs 18 cents. It could rise to 20 cents, although publicans are anxious to prevent too big an increase which could lead to consumer resistance.

Already, many who used to drink whisky, have changed to gin. Hotels have had to face increased wages from 10 p.m. closing and now are faced with the 5 per cent general wage order, and do not expect to be able to absorb the increased price for whisky. Mr Ballin said the Increase would apply to standard and de luxe brands of Scotch whisky, but not to secondary brands.

The increase had been brought about by a rise of lit per cent on the f.o.b. price from the United Kingdom as a result of the devaluation of sterling, Mr Ballin said. The trade had absorbed the difference in

value brought about by the devaluation of the British £ and the New Zealand $.

Scotch whisky arriving from last month was more costly. In most cases, as it

was the end of the licensing period, stocks at the old price had been exhausted. Freight charges from the United Kingdom had also increased, Mr Ballin said. In 1960 they were-327s 6d a ton. Today they were 480 s a ton, which represented an increase of about 50 per cent. Landing charges into the store from Lyttelton had increased by more than 100 per cent in the same period.

The increased charges are not expected to take effect until the first week in September.