What happened that day?

Kiwi of the Week

This WeeK's Quiz

Today in History

previous 2 December next

rss feed
'Six o'clock swill' begins

1917 'Six o'clock swill' begins

Six p.m. closing of pubs was introduced as a 'temporary' wartime measure. It ushered in what became know as the 'six o'clock swill', as patrons aimed to drink their fill before closing time. The practice lasted for the next 50 years. more...

Internal links

New Zealand pub scene, 1967Voting for prohibition

External links

  • Liquor laws (1966 encyclopaedia)
  • Six o'clock swill (Te Ara)
© Crown Copyright. All text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence. Commercial re-use may be allowed on request. All non-text content is subject to specific conditions.
This site is produced by the History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Meet the NZHistory.net.nz team