PRICE OF BEER.

Evening Star, Issue 23352, 23 August 1939, Page 18

PRICE OF BEER.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—As a worker 1 challenge the hotelkeepers of this city to come out into the open and justify the prices lor beer and spirits which they arc charging to-day. i do not (at the present time) intend to give these selfassured public benefactors my figures to juggle with,, but 1 am prepared to debate, and prove to them, that they arc receiving a gross profit of 125 per cent, on their sales of liquors sold for consumption on the premises. As one who has been connected with, the trade a good many years before a large number of the present publicans knew what an hotel license looked like, I definitely charge them with over-charg-ing. Should any of the hotelkeepers take up this challenge, I will accept on the condition that it takes place in his public bar at an hour when his patrons will be present' to judge for themselves.—l am, etc., August 23. Working Bullock. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—lt is very amusing to read of tho weak and foolish stand the waterside workers are adopting towards the above. I say weak and foolish because pay day will prove for itself. However, now that they have entered the tight against taxation, I consider it would be more sensible if they made representation to the Government to keep its platform pledges and reduce taxation on commodities that are more necessary to life than beer.—l am, ete., August 23. W.E.G.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln Tuesday’s issue you have an article with the heading ‘ Bitter Beer,’ and once again you sort out the poor old watersider. One of your reporters, you state, went around the city hotels purposely to find out if he could find any “ wharfie ” drinking beer. According to newspaper reports, if there were no wharfies the hotels would have to close, because it seems that they are the only people in Now Zealand that drink beer. There are about 40 or 50 hotels in Dunedin, and if the publican has to rely on the “ wharfie ” to keep his business going he must be earning about £I,OOO a week, because these hotels between them make tens of thousands a year, so it seems that there are thousands of other workers (not including the collar and tie brigade! who drink beer. When these people fall in line with the “ wharfie ” in this boycott we might be able to get things righted, because there are only 250 watorsiders in Dunedin and they don’t all drink beer. So what difference would the' boycott do to the hotels, with the watersider holding out on his own? None whatever. 1 was pleased to notice that your reporter had gained the information that - things are not so bright on the waterfront regarding earnings this week. I would enlighten him still more, and perhaps the public too, when I state that the average earnings on the waterfront this last three weeks would be about £2 10s, so it seems that if the hotelkeeper is relying on the “ wharfie ” to keep his business going we shall be burying them all because they will all die of starvation. One publican asked your reporter what would happen if one went into a greengrocer’s for 11b of potatoes and asked him to “ shout ” another pound. We would at least be sure of 11b of potatoes. I would like to ask tho publican this question: If the Government made it law that beer, the same as other goods, must be sold by the weight or measure, and beer was 8d a pint, what would he charge for a pony beer?—l am, etc.. P. Sui.i.ivax. August 2d.