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NEW YORK IN SEARCH OF A DRINK

CIRCUMVENTING THE LAW. Aftqr a month of Prohibition, New York much resembles London "after hours." That is to say, any man can sjet a drink if he knows where to go for it.

With so much legislation on thp subject being turned out by Congress ind with so many appeals and motions to test the validity of Prohibition before the Courts, few people, whether vendors or consumers of drink, could nay what exactly may be legally sold \nd what is taboo, but the situation is roughly this: Whisky and other pirits are definitely outside the pale, rat the legal situation of beer and ight wine is so uncertain that a great lumber of bars and restaurants continue to sell them. Also, a number of places continue to sell spirits and cockails more or less sub rosa. Nono of he large hotels and restaurants arc Included in either of these classes, but plenty of proprietors of smaller estabishments intend to cany on till mught. Then, in the words of ono >f them, "I'll pay my fine, close lown, and go and live in Europe.'' What happens in these places is something like this:—A man enters md asks for a glass of white wine. "We don't sell white wiuc. We sell herry," answers the bartender, and ie hands over a glass of rather light>rown liquid. The customer repeats that he wants thine wine. The barman replied:— "That stuff is just as good. Try t," The customer, who by this time has ,4i inkling of how the land lies, drinks p his glass of—whisky. In restaurants this sort of thing , appens:—The customer, on the chance f receiving an affirmative answer, sks the -waiter if it is possible to ave a cocktail before dinner. The ,7aiter says ho does not know, but /ill find out, and he departs. A few ' ioments later a second waiter appears nd informs the diner that he is /anted on the telephone. The latter >roceeds to the telephone box, and '.nds a cocktail on the shelf. At an •ther establishment a request for Special coffee produces a cocktaf erved in a coffee cup; at another the password is "special sherry." This is one side of the picture. On he other there are large hotels which .re losing £2OO a day in their taking? ince July 1, while it is reliably estabished that the sale of ice cream ana oft drinks has increased 40 percent, a this small period. Prom the Passport Bureau there om©B the story of fifty persons who ave ,taken out passports to Havana nd : who, in filling out their applies ions, put "Prohibition" in the olumn headed "Reasons for making ho journey." Dozens of saloons ir ■arious parts of the city have closei 1 heir doors during the last fortnight jhd the only thing that prevents many estaurant proprietors from following •he same course is that they their Wemises on long leases under* which ihey are not avowed to sublet. I The question also affects the ship *ing companies, as ships sailing under ;he American flag must be dry, where jta in other ships the bars open and ih& wine lists appear in the restaurants as soon as the three-mile limit is? passed. It is feared that this will Irive many passengers into French, British, and Dutch boats.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19200326.2.59.4

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Age, 26 March 1920, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
559

NEW YORK IN SEARCH OF A DRINK Wairarapa Age, 26 March 1920, Page 6

NEW YORK IN SEARCH OF A DRINK Wairarapa Age, 26 March 1920, Page 6

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