Timaru broadcasters Jim Sullivan and Bill Timmings survey the impact of the first night of ten o'clock closing at various hotels in South Canterbury.
[There is some audio distortion in the original recording.]
At The Grosvenor Hotel [Timaru], a brass band is playing and Mr Martin [hotel manager?] comments on whether he thinks they will remain as busy as they are on the first night of 10 o'clock closing.
At The Hibernian Hotel [Timaru], Brian Conroy says 5pm-6pm trading has been very quiet. A man sings to piano accompaniment in the background.
At Pleasant Point, a hotel manager says they noticed no change in 5-6pm trade, as farm workers came in after work. He feels country people will appreciate later closing, especially at harvest time.
In a Temuka hotel, Mr Brown says the trading hasn't been much different, although flagon sales were down.
At Arowhenua, at 8.30pm there were still about 40 people in the bar, drinking quietly. The announcers note that there were women present, 'even in the public bar'.
At a private club, The Town and Country Club, a manager comments on their facilities and he doesn't feel 10 o'clock closing will make much of a change.
Mr E. A. Smith of the Licensed Hotels Association says the changeover went peacefully. He feels the association's advertising campaign helped reform the licensing laws.
Frank Shea at the Old Bank Hotel says the same regulars have been there for the first night of 10 o'clock closing. [Piano accordion music can be heard in the background.]
At the Terminus Hotel, retired publican Harry Hogg comments that later closing should have happened years ago [audio ends mid-sentence].