FOR BEER-DRINKING TITLE

NZ Truth, Issue 1146, 17 November 1927, Page 10

FOR BEER-DRINKING TITLE

Bacchus Enthroned

Students' Ten-Handle Tussle For Speed-Consumption Record

THRILLING 1 WIN BY SHORT HALF- PINT

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Dunedin Representative.) nUNEDIN, known far and wide as a seat of learning and thereu fore a cultivator of talent, an enticer of genius and a producer of gifted and clever men, raises another monument to the world, to wit, the beer-drinking record, by a strong 1 team of Varsity students.

IT has been no secret, even beyond the confines of New Zealand, that Dunedin was one of those brewing grounds par exoellenoe where the product of the hop goes out to the world as an advertisement.

But to be able to inscribe on the roll of tutorial aooompliahmenta so consummate an honor as beer-drinking champions for 1927, is to admit of another decided win for the famed city of the south. The honor goes to . the dental students of the Dunedin Varsity, who literally carried all before them m their viotorious sweep of pint glasses of amber. They hold the oherlshed trophy from the licensee of a city hotel m the form of a glass mug. The air of bravado had become rather tense between spells of lessons, when it was openly flaunted by certain sections of students that m the beerdrinking line there was nothing to touch them. ■ To quaff a pint of beer from the conventional "handle" m a certain space of time was held as a record. v But among the listeners were one or two who had visions of hot days themselves.

The time did not appear to them to be extraordinary. The competitive spirit, now fully ._J awakened, thus blossomed , into a' full he-man-sized challenge. Challenges like that are not always ' to be turned away and this one was not rejected, the question of venue arid conditions being quickly decided on. The battle under the unsolicited patronage of King Bacchus was

staged on the premises of « local hotel. Briefly, the conditions may be left to a local correspondent of the "Otago Daily Times." Following, the "event," he wrote thus to the paper: ". . . I wish to bring before your notice the most ridiculous and degrading competition that could ever occur — a race m the drinking of alcohoL "Ten members of each competing party ranged themselves on each side of an lmprovlzed bar m the backyard of an hotel and drank ten long glasses of beer In relay against their opponents, for the honor of holding a glass beercontainer presented by the proprietor of the hotel. . "I ask, Is It not a disgrace to the community that this should occur, especially when the competitors were young men who are expected to become our future leading citizens? I am, etc., . "EYE-WITNESS." , That, In itself, seems to authenticate to some degree the conditions of the competition, the idea being

that the. individual only consumed one big glass of beer as fast as he ,could, his neighbor being ready to despatch his amber as soon as his predecessor had' drained his glass. However, the letter of "Eye-Witness" to the "Otago Daily Times" rather annoyed one of the student competitors, so he wrote a reply, earnestly asking how m the name of goodness "our leading citizens" of the futur? could *be found without such an admirable test of staying power, stamina and ability. The city fairly rocked with the conflict of opinions that were scattered about. ' Some people take the view that students will be students and— like their fathers befpre them— will get up to pranks upon which the older generation frowns and looks askance, but which m the long run are quite relegated to the background of forgotten things at the arrival of years of maturity and discretion. Others maintain that it was a sinful thjng, not In the drinking of a glass of ale judiciously and thirstfully, but to make such an open competitive welter of it that the town came to talk about it.

The moderates view the matter from the point of view that what takes place away from school — providing it does not interfere with collegiate life —is no outsider's business and that the

■ ' usual happenings m the average domestic life are, or should be, taboo to the genus' stickybeak. But conjecture may do what she pleasea. It is not known whether the competitions were run consistently or — on this particular occasion— ln heats. Suffice it that the mining students went down ingloriously to the dental students, the latter- claiming the right to the Ancient and Distinguished Order of the Frothblowers. As for opposition, their security at one stage only was seriously threatened. A party of sailors whose knowledge of the world had taken some practical shape heard of the competition and gladly availed themselves of the challenge issued by the dental students. It can be stated reliably that most of the nautical "team" had arranged to get leave for the purpose (their absence was sought on the plea to compete m a tug o' war). Only a last-minute hitch with the personnel prevented the interesting match and thus Dunedin dental students landed the unassailable distinction of being the champion beerdrinkers In the fastest time-to New Zealand. , • .

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