To the Editor of the Nortu-Cruxa Dairy News."
Srr,—Having occasion to visit the Metropole Hotel last evening, I was struck by written notice, hung in front of the bar, to the following effect: "In future only Chief Petty Officers of the Navy and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers of the Army will be served." I should like to point out to the Mannger of the Metropole that Lst-class P.0.'s in the Navy rank with but senior to Sergeants of the sister service, and that the rule, if it can be termed such, should apply to them equally with the Senior Now Commissioned.
Two Ist-class P.O's were refused drinks at the front bar of the George Hotel the other Sunday, also.n 2nd-class P.O. and a stoker. It was explained to them that they coul not be served on account of the "collar" (the expression "collar" used at the time, I can only presume to mean to refer to the uniform worn by these men), further that there was a bar at the back for "them." Ttatruck me at the time that it was a rather peculiar statement, that the appear #0 the Shang Volunteers were being serve and Privatestoo, at that. If the Munage of these public burs, viz. the George, Metropole and Central find that service were to cause a disturbance, I think the municipal police if culled upon are quite capable of dealing with the offenders, and thus put a sop to this in my opinion insulting practice of placing these objectionable notices in the public bars, and further I do not think that even would be necessary if the act now in force in England, relative to publicans and others supplying intoxicants to persons under the influence of liquor, was applied Shanghai. There is another question I would like to ask. Have hotel maungers, publicans and other licensed purveyors of intoxicants the absolute right of refusing to serve men in uniform with drink, providio, of course the applicant is sober? If so would suggest that a notice be placed outside the bar, so s to save one the hui ting position of going into a public bar only to find that the uniform he wears debars him from being served, and places him irrespective of his rauk below the social rating of the ordinary you in anticipation for insertion of this letter in your paper.
Tam, ete, 30th April.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.