The White Ribbon. "For God, and Home, and Humanity" WELLINGTON, FEBRUARY 1, 1948. TRAVEL TIPS

White Ribbon, Volume 20, Issue 1, 1 February 1948, Page 4

The White Ribbon. "For God, and Home, and Humanity" WELLINGTON, FEBRUARY 1, 1948. TRAVEL TIPS

By GEORGE DASH

In the past year 1 have been to Auckland and to the Bluff and to many places between. Conferences have called me to travel and my hotel allocations have been varied. I have stayed in a number of liquor-selling hotels and a number of hotels not selling liquor. The accommodation in the latter is quite equal to the licensed house and it was in an unlicensed house that I heard travellers say the food was the best of all. I disagree with two who said that hospitality and warmth of companionship was not as good in the hotels under control of the Invercargill Licensing Trust. I found no difference between these and otiier licensed hotels. The most companionable hotel I stayed at was an unlicensed house in lauranga, where the travelling public appeared to be of a special type (or was it the climate ?).

STAND UP, OR SIT DOWN BARS I have stayed in hotels where “sit down” or “stand up” bars, one or tilt other, were in use. 1 have s**en the lounge in full blast and in quiet operation, and the open-to-street bar and the hidden-entrance bar. I have heard the varied opinions of many drink* rs in these places, and 1 must say tii.il my considered opinion is that lounge, “sit down,” and concealed

drinking will increase the consumption of alcoholic liquors. I have while waiting for dinner in a lounge noticed a gentleman bring two ladies into the room and in the half hour they consumed three rounds of hquor. I have seen many young women enter the door leading to the concealed bar and very many of that sex drinking freely in lounges. Does the liquor seller look at it thus—- “ Grab, Guzzle, Get,” Bars we abhor, Sit, sip and soak, thus spend much more? BOTTLE SHOPS A great incentive to “Home Drinking” is, in my opinion, the Bottle Shop. With windows attractively spread with l»ottlcs of alcoholic liquor bearing price tickets varying from i/9 per bottle and up to 15/- per bottle, they ask for trade. 1/9 per bottle is also shown as 20/6 per dozen, thus saving a whole halfpenny per bottle. I noticed that seldom did anyone conic out with a package (always done up in brown paper) with but one bottle in it. Business appeared to be brisk. Down in Invercargill I noticed empty beer l>ottles at both ends of the Railway Station platform and on arriving at an hotel found a bottle in my wardrobe when I opened it to hang up nothings. One Bottle Snop (open on Saturday when grocers are closed) was next door to a picture theatre and another was close to Rugby Park sports ground. The profit on that one is shown in the published balance sheet as £29s—and Rugby Park sales of liquor are given as £2,804 —I saw a large bottle brought to a dining table by the lounge liquor server. Coffee was not served at dinner, but in the lounge.

LIQUOR IN TEAROOMS 1 have a long experience of tearooms and have seen them in many towns. 1 visited the one in Invercargill conducted under the Licensing Trust. With a farmer I sat down in the Brown Owl, as it is named, and had afternoon tea. It was a busy P'riday shopping afternoon and trade w’as brisk. White jacketed Liquor-vending Waiters flitted around and girls were serving the afternoon teas. My farmer friend although not an abstainer did not appreciate the dual purpose of the place. He assured me that since the introduction of Liquor selling his wife refused to patronise the room. I met others who declined to enter the place. The pub-

lished balance sheet gave the Restaurant income as £30,134, and liquor sales in the same room as £9,223. with a loss for the year of £1,683. It is proposed now to open a Bottle shop adjacent to sell wines only. Where the man who was staggering wildly up the street obtained his intoxicants I do not know, but of this 1 am convinced, that the sale of liquor in a tearoom is objectionable and has dangers, which make it very undesirable.