GROCERS FINED.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18635, 9 March 1926, Page 5

GROCERS FINED.

OPEN SHOPS ON HOLIDAY. Fourteen New Brighton grocers were convicted and fined 10s, and directed to pay 7s costs, by Mr H. A. Young, S.M., in the Lower Court yesterday, wheu they denied a charge "that on January 23rd, 1926 (the day of the grocers' picnic), at New Brighton, being a grocery shop occupier, you did fail to close your shop." The offenders were:—A. G. Boardman, A. G. Gale, 8. Grammar, C. I'. Henry, b\ J. Hill, W. L. Leverett, It Lightbody, V. E. Marriott, A. N. Meredith, D. McOintock, McCreanor and Co., Mrs H. lioscoe, J. Simpson, and T. E. Thompson. The Defence. Mr 11. A.. Cuthbert, who defended the grocers, submitted that the matter before the Court was the interpretation of the award. The Department's contention was that the New Brighton grocers were boun.d by a section of the award, and if this was so an obvious and serious injustice arose In the City closing on Saturday meant ;i loss of four and a half hours, but Saturday was the late night in New Brighton, where Wednesday was observed as the statutory half-holiday. On Saturday many people came to New Brighton for the week-end, and Saturday therefore was the heaviest trading day of the week for grocers. With regard to the picnic, it was much more pleasutit for /the grocers to join in the borough picnic with people whom they knew, than to go on a-pic-nic with people who were strangers to them. Mr A. E. Waite, prosecuting for the Department, said that no definite notice to close on the day in question had been sent to New Brighton grocers, but it was laid down in the award, and it wasthe duty of the defendants to be aware of the contents of the award.