UNREGISTERED BARMAIDS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 19 June 1912, Page 5

UNREGISTERED BARMAIDS

A FLAW IN THE ACT

BY TELEGRAPH-PEESS ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, June 18. From enquiries made this morning by an Evening News representative, it appears that a considerable number of unregistered barmaids are employed in Christchurch. This is the result of the flaw in the Licensing Act which enables a hotel-keeper to employ an unregistered girl m any bar provided it does not open directly on to the street, a description that apnlies practically to all private bars. The registered girls are up in arms about the proceedings. ''We had to go through an involved" and humiliating process and to face a great deal of undesirable publicity in order to get registered," said one of t>hem this morning, "and these other girls are allowed to escape scot free." Another took the view that tbe system would tend to lower wages. "We would like to know whether the flaw in the Act is to be amended," she added. A prominent hotelkeener said that he had tried a barman in his private bar, with the result that the trade fell away enormously. He held that a girl was best m o private bar anyhow, as she could deal with the men better. In the public bars, which were frequented by a rougher class, it was necessary to havebarmen who could use physical force v necessary.