CLOSED BARS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 132, 1 December 1945, Page 8

CLOSED BARS

PUBLIC RESENTMENT

ATTITUDE OF UNION

Almost without exception, hotel bars in Wellington remained closed this morning until about 11.30 in consequence of the attitude of the Hotel Workers' Union concerning the participation of members in the Labour procession through the city. Comments heard in the streets left no room for doubt regarding ' the unfavourable view taken of the position by many Wellingtonians, who resented the restriction placed upon their normal privileges by the union's stand.

It is understood that on Monday night a resolution was carried unanimously at a meeting of the union that as many members as possible, particularly bar workers, should attend the demonstration and take part in the procession. Notices to this effect were distributed to union members on Wednesday. The next day a further special notice was sent out to members to the effect that all members were expected to participate in the demonstration, and it is gathered that in a number of instances this notice was reinforced by a verbal intimation along the same lines.

Endeavours to arrange for skeleton staffs to be on duty in the bars were not successful, and it was finally decided to arrange for the release of all bar staffs this morning until noon. The demonstration terminated, however, in good time and bars in general were reopened about 11.30. One licensee remarked subsequently that there was such a poor representation of bar staffs in the procession that it was a pity that such inconvenience to the public and financial loss to the trade should have been incurred.