1500 GALLONS OF BEER LOST

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 November 1947, Page 3

1500 GALLONS OF BEER LOST

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 13. A petition presented by Mr C. M. Bowden (Opposition, Karori) in the House of Representatives told .how more than 1500. gallons of beer was destroyed in Wellington in 1944. The petitioners were Preston and Co., Ltd, wine and spirit merchants. In December, 1943, they purchased from brewers 28 hogsheads of ale and stout which they intended to bottle for retail sale. For this quantity of liquor (1512 gallons) they paid £3lB 13s Bd, which included £226 16s beer duty. In March, 1944, before the ale and stout had been bottled the firm received notice to vacate its premises, which had been bought by the Wellington Returned Services’ Association, which required possession. The petitioners were unable to find other suitable premises -and were forced to move into a building which did not permit bottling operations to be carried out for some time. “During this period the said ale and stout had become unfit for human consumption,” said the petition. The whole quantity'" was therefore destroyed under the supervision of the Customs Department after the department had taken samples. The petitioners asked that as no refund of beer duty was permitted under existing law, the House should authorise a refund.