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Star (Christchurch), Issue 12717, 12 August 1919, Page 4

There is a general belief that the British working man resents interference with his beer. During the progress of the war statements were circulated that he had threatened .to strike if his allowance were reduced, ‘ but labour leaders promptly denied the truth of this, saying that it was a move engineered by enemies of the labour organisations. However, if the beer were not reduced in quantity it- was deprived of a considerable amount of its strength, so much so that war-beer was a frequent mark for the wit of the Press humorist. Recently it was announced that there was to be an improvement in respect to the strength of British beer, that the anaemic article which had been served up in war time was to be replaced by a liquid having in it a “ kick ” something akin to that which distinguished the pre-war beverage. The milder lager is scoffed at by the British beer drinker, who is quite unable to understand how such “ slops” can be called beer. He likes his beer with a bite in it; the tame rariety has no charm for him. "While the British working man was given to complaining about the conditions surrounding the supply and the quality of his beer, he, at any rate, is bettor off than his American confrere, whose supply was completely cut off on July 1. A few weeks before the enforcement of prohibition in the United States the members of the working men’s and women’s clubs' at Leicester,. England, gave voice to their dissatisfaction at the position, and it was decided to join in with other districts near at hand and erect and equip, or purchase a brewery to produce the best class of beer exclusively for the clubs concerned. When the decision was made known it was remarked that the membership rapidly increased. The proposal was to keep the shares amongst members, and the capital was to be £120,000. The movement created a fair amount of public interest, and in an interview an Official stated it arose from a feeling that the supply furnished by the breweries was neither in the quantity nor of the quality that they had a right to look for. “Conferences,” he said, “ have revealed great discontent at the existing conditions. We wait good quality at a fair price, and in reasonable quantity, and we are determined to see the thing through.”