Future of Licensed Trade In Melting Pot

Chronicle (Levin), 31 March 1949, Page 6

Future of Licensed Trade In Melting Pot

\ Press Association)

(Per

DUNEDIN, March 30. The future of the licensed hotel trade is at present in the melting pot. This was the opinion expressed today by some members of the trade in Dunedin. They stated that moves ' by the Price Tribunal to stabilise bottle store prices and those of dining room table lines together with the inereases in award rates and inadequate tariff charges would probably not only cause hotelkeepers to revise their attitude towards the number of employees they retained, but also would have the general effeet of depreciating the standard of service available in hotels in this .country. Hotel licensees said that a move was made on a Dominion basis by the Licensed Victuallers' Association to have hotel aecommodation tariff rates increased by the Price Tribunal. As a result some proprietors in .Dunedin were approached to produce in support oi the application balance-sheets estimated as at the end of this month, together with profit and loss accounts and other relevant details. This is now being done or has been in a number of cases. Some proprietors, however, are concerned at what appears to be a new policy of the Price Tribunal in respect/ of profits. They quoted the new "get tougli" policy announeed by the Triliunal^n respect to>New Zealand clothing manufacturers. The Tribunal announeed this month that these manufacturers must absorb the whole of the vvage increase recently granted to about 20,000 workers in the industry in the Dominion. If this policy were applied to the licensed hotel trade they said it would have a disastrous effect on the ability of the trade to supply the publie a service. It would also reflect on the ability of the trade to retain some of its employees.