BITTER BEER

Evening Star, Issue 23351, 22 August 1939, Page 8

BITTER BEER

WATERSIDERS STILL OBJECTING REPRESENTATIONS TO GOVERNMENT POSSIBLE GENERAL PUBLIC LOSING INTEREST The lamentations that arose from the ranks of the beer drinkers when the publicans acted on tho new Budget tax seem to be dying. Only tho watersiders are holding out, as militant' in their recreations or luxuries (whatever heading beer may come under) as they are industrially. But for once they do not appear to b« unanimous. The members of the Dunedin Watersiders’ Union, as a beer-drinking body, have not taken offiical action in boycotting tho hotels, but have more or less! followed the lead of their northern confreres in declaring their disapproval of what they regard as a hitter injustice. As a body, it was said, they would stay away from the hotels. But this morning, when a ‘ Star ’ man visited several hotels in the centre of the city (purely in curiosity, it must he added), he found “ wharfies ” there. However much they disliked it, they were still drinking their beeri The publicans say that neither the watersiders nor anybody else have grounds for their arguments and objections. The only practical change in the situation, they claim, is in the elimination of shouting, which should have come a year ago. “ The public does not seem to realise,” said one hotelkeeper, “ that up to the present, when wo bought fbur hogsheads of beer we gave one away on the spot. If you go into a shop and buy a pound of potatoes you don’t ask for another pound on the house, do you? And, speaking of potatoes, there is something these people could complain about with justification.” Shouting, said another publican, meant that they were throwing their profits away—which was scarcely sound economics—and had been banned by their association. Against that, again, is tho fact that at least two hotels are still shouting for their “ regulars.” Despite the declaration of the watersiders that they would not patronise the hotels, there has been no appreciable difference in the trade of the bars that cater for them. One licensee mentioned that his turnover in bottled beer had dropped, but otherwise he could see no change. Actually, it may be some time yet before tho situation can be appraised with accuracy. Last week was a short week for the men on the wharf, and this is a quiet business period. Moreover, that quietness is accentuated by the National Week reaction. Many beer drinkers are punters, and huge sums go through illegal, but nevertheless very popular, channls of betting. As a body, however,_ the watersiders say they are not taking things lying down. They strongly contest the publicans’ statement that the elimination of shouting is the only issue, andl in Dunedin are discussing the possibility of joining northern unions in a demand to the Government that the 1 provisions of the Weights and Measures Act should he rigorously applied, and that the publicans’ charges and measures should be investigated by the Price Tribunal. Until that is done the hotels will suffer. But the publicans do not appear to bo worrying. SURREPTITIOUS “ QUICK ONES " ONE HOTEL CLAIMS RECORD BUSINESS [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, August 22. At least one Wellington notel has not felt the pinch of some workers’ unions deciding not to patronise the bars. In fact, Saturday is claimed to be a record day for its bar takings, giving the impression that perhaps some unionists prefer their beer to their union, and are slipping up town for surreptitious quick ones.