CLOSING OF SHOPS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 209, 4 September 1925, Page 10

CLOSING OF SHOPS.

SUGGESTED AMENDMENT OF LAW

Aii amendment to the provisions governing closing hours of shops is suggested in :the annual report of the Department of Labour. "The Arbitration Court," states the report, "was empowered, when making an award relating to the employment of shop-assistants under the Industrial and Conciliation and -Arbitration Act, to fix also the closing hours of shops under the Shops and Offices Act in the same trades or business whether or not assistants were employed therein. This provision was made "on account of complaints by shopkeepers with assistants, that in order to release their assistants at the times fixed by the awards they were compelled to close their shops while smaller shops in the vicinity and in the same trades could be kept open. A number of awards have accordingly been made fixing the closing hours, and in consequence a considerable number of complaints have been received from the occupiers of the small shops This has occurred particularly since the general shop assistants' award was made covering most of the Dominion. "The Court is already empowered to grant exemption to such shops if undue hardship is shown, but it is suggested that this provision might, with 'advantage on the whole to all concerned, and in die public interest, be amended, first, to authorise the granting of exemptions where it is shown that.unfair competition with other shopkeepers would not be caused, and also having regard to the public interest, and second, to place the consideration of exemptions in the hands of-local magistrates, who, Hieing continuously on the spot, are better able to deal with such detail matters than the Court itself, whose functions extend over the whole Dominion."