BREWERY INTERESTS DENY INFLUENCE

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32354, 21 July 1970, Page 16

BREWERY INTERESTS DENY INFLUENCE

(By Our Industrial Reporter) Hotel and brewery interests yesterday denied that the breweries were influencing or dominating negotiations in the present wage dispute with hotel workers—the Christchurch manager of New Zealand Breweries (Mr R. H. Standish) said it was completely false to say this. Brewery-controlled hotels represented a very small minority of the Hotel Association of New Zealand, and had no more than their fair say, he said.

The president of the Canterbury Hotel Association (Mr A. F. G, McGregor) dismissed suggestions of brewery domination as “rubbish.” The chief executive of H.A.N.Z. (Mr J. J. Williams) told that Of aimoat 1100 hotel* represented by the aaaoclation, only 139 were directly under brewery management. A proportion of toe other hotel* were owned or financed by breweries but were under i leas*. I Mr William* ha* said prei vlously that the president. ! the four vice-presidents, and most of toe executive of the association represent independent hotels. The secretary of the Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union (Mr L. N. Short) wks I not impressed by these comI taents. He maintains that the 1 breweries—through interests

In other companies and through Conditional leases and mortgages—control far mor* hotels than they own. and he sees the present conflict as strictly between his union and the breweries. “Mr McGregor thinks we

should have a secret ballot of our members to see if they really support our action,” Mr Short said last evening. “Tell Mr McGregor that we’ll make a point of it at Our next meeting—and ask him if he'll do the same the next time the Canterbury Hotel Association meets." Three Christchurch licencee* said last evening that they supported Mr Short’s views. They said that financial agreements with the breweries stipulated that “independent” hotels should be members of the local hotel association and should abide by its rules and decisions, under heavy financial penalties for not doing so.

Theoretically, they said, independent hotels Could vote as they wished. But If they ever needed finance there was only one source which was readily available—and if they ever had to sell, there was only one buyer interested, and with toe ready cash.