HOTEL TARIFFS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20639, 30 January 1937, Page 10

HOTEL TARIFFS

CONCESSIONS TO A.A. MEMBERS WITHDRAWAL UNIVERSAL The fact that the withdrawal of hotel concessions from members of the Automobile Association was practically universal throughout New Zealand and was not restricted to Timaru houses was pointed out to a reporter of “The Timaru Herald” yesterday by the president of the Timaru Licensed Victuallers’ Industrial Association of Employers (Mr F. H. Drewitt), when approached regarding a discussion which took place at a meeting of the Automobile Association (South Canterbury) on Thursday night. Mr Drewitt said that on November 30 he had received a circular from the New Zealand Licensed Victuallers’ Industrial Association of Employers stating that at the annual meeting it had been decided to continue to grant concessions to bona-fide commercial travellers but to withdraw the privileges previously extended to members of the Automobile Association and other organisations. The Timaru Licensed Victuallers had held a meeting Immediately and had decided to abide by the decision of the New Zealand body, withdrawing the concession as from the middle of December. At that meeting it had been agreed to convey the decision to the proper quarter and, until yesterday, he had not been aware that that had not been done. The withdrawal had been made in Wellington some time before the annual meeting of the New Zealand Association, and was now practically universal throughout the Dominion. Mr Drewitt explained that the step had been made necessary on account of increased costs, higher wages and shorter hours of work for hotel employees.