BILL DROPPED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 282, 27 November 1940, Page 9

BILL DROPPED.

SHOPS AND OFFICES.

CONSOLIDATION LATER.

(■r Telccraph.—Parliament* rj Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day.

In view of the strong divergence of opinion about the proposal, the Government has decided not to proceed with the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill, which has been the subject of considerable discussion inside and outside the House of Representatives. This was the substance of a recommendation made by the Labour Bills Committee when it reported the measure back to the House yesterday afternoon. The committee also suggested that the principal Act and its amendments should be consolidated, end the Minister of Labour, Mr. ( Webb, later announced his intention of j taking action in this direction before the next session of Parliament. Mr. Wilkinson (Independent, Egmont) said the committee's decision would give considerable satisfaction to busi--1 nees people. There had been widespread opposition to the measure, no fewer : than 41 county councils and 21 chambers of commerce expressing their opposition to it. I A Labour Member: What about the [farmers' unions? i Mr. Wilkinson: And a laege number of them, too. Mr. Wilkinson said that evidence in I favour of the bill was meagre, and he I thought the Minister was misled when jhe introduced it. He had, however, acted fairly when the case was put to f him. Bill Asked For. I The Minister said the bill was asked for by almost every section of the commercial life. There was more political opposition to it than might have been expected, and a lot of people passed resolutions against it without hiving the remotest idea of what it prrponrd "I felt that the betvt thing to do was. to suggest to the committee that 1 would bring down a consolidating measure dealing with the whole question," said Mr. Webb. "I propose to submit a draft bill to everyone cmcerned and give them time to go into the question thoroughly. Then before the next session I will call a conference of both parties and try aad arrive at some sort of understanding. Where there Is no agreement, then the mpwiiMity would rest with me aad the Government." Mr. Poison (National, Stratford) commended the Minister fur keeping his word, but he was sorry to hear that he proposed to reintroduce the question in another form later on. At a time like this, when the country was losing a large number of ite able young men, it was an unthinkable and unwise thing to do.