SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 72, 18 December 1917, Page 4

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

TOWN AiTD COUNTRY.

Asked as to tho result of 6 c clock _ dosing a hotel licensee in a thro-,; ing Hawke's Bay centre said Uiat his receipts haS been lessened by Dbout 25 , per cent to 30 per cent.-somo weeks were a little better than others. From what we couTd gather-and it vas a subject that was freely thrashed outit was stating the case fairly say that the hotel revenue in the cities had decreased approximately OU per cent., whilst in the country there was a 25 per cent. drop. That was averaging the whole of the licensed houses., ""here were,- However, those who said that almost every house jvas affected differently.. One travel! «■for wines and spirits informed a Dominion reporter that to arrivo at a computation of tho loss or gain of each hotel one must know tho peculiarity of tho trade of that house. Assuming, for instance, that a hotel was located near a popular house of amusement, used to doing a big interval trade, such houses must feel the decrease immediately. It might mean to them at least a oU ner cent drop. Then there wero louses near tne wbarf in Wellington who do a steady bar traHe during tho day, and not a great deal at night, as tlio locality after work hours )S a quiet one. They might pick up a bit ot extra nionev between 5 and. fi p.m. which very largely compensated for the loss of trade for the next four hours, If not altogether. On tho other hand, thero were mid-city hotels in-Welling-ton where business was usually quiet in tho day-time and brisk nt night. Those were the houses that must suffer most of all, and which must readjust their business notions altogether. There is a clause in the Act which gives permission to an owner To close liis promises altogether during the period of the war without sacrificing tho license, bitf so far there has been no report in Wellington, as to tho intention of anv owner or licensee io tako advantage oFTne provision. Tt is too early, however,- to say whether the clause will not prove a power ci'eruge to storm-driven hotel-owners in sonicparts of tho country. The out-and-out country hotel, remote from any town, should not bo so seriously RiTected as those located in a town, as there is not so much trade going nt night-time, especially m tho busy harvest time, when most peopleare now forced to work so bard that they aro glad to get to bed m order to be up bright and early. On the wholo tho measure has been uccepted very philosophically by tho trade.