Retailers Affirm Policy On Hours For Shopping

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27912, 8 March 1956, Page 14

Retailers Affirm Policy On Hours For Shopping

(From Our Own Reporter)

HANMER SPRINGS. March 7. . A general policv of Monday to Fri- ‘ day shopping except in special circumstances. envisaged by the Shops Bnd Offices Act. was affirmed today by the New Zealand Retailers’ Federation et its annual conference. The federation further decided as policy that ordinary rates of pay should apply for Saturday work in cases where magis- : ferial exemption was granted for a f ve-day 40-hour week which included Saturday work. The remit was proposed by the Auckland association. Moving it. Mr R. M. Parker said that shops could now be permitted to open on Sunday for any purposes' by Magistrates. Inasmuch as Saturday was the statutory closing day. Magistrates had no power to grant exemption to permit shops to open after 1 p.m. nn Saturday except in the case of New Brighton. The federation was being asked to establish a long-term policv. The present-day r n -called prosperity must not be; allowed to cloud their thinking. Since the act was passed, many applications had been filed for permisFion to open on Saturday and Sun- j day. and he was concerned with some j fiends. It was amazing last week to fnd a Wanganui Magistrate saying ■ that farmers could not work a fiveday week, and they had to shop where they could, and he would do all he could to make it easier for farmers to shop. The Magistrate said he thought

It was a grand thing to find people prepared to work. He was referring to the owners of two shops carrying slocks of odds and ends, on the main highway, which had been opened for seven days and 80 A hours a week. They were held up by the Magistrate as models of virtue. “You can suspect I did not agree with him.” said Mr Barker. “The Magistrate admitted that the shops had been giving the service illegally. The federation had tacitly endorsed a fiveday week for most stores, and that had been written into awards. “Unjustifiable” Exemptions “We are frightened there may be a certain breaking down of the Monday to Friday working week.” said Mr Barker. “it will not begin in the big centres, it will be a case of divide and conquer. The attack will begin in the smaller centres until those in bigger towns, and later the cities, will be in a very embarrassing situation. We cannot be blind to exemption being granted unjustifiably in some cases.” The federation, said Mr Barker, could justify its attitude because of staff shortage. The difficulties of Saturday work—Friday night was a great deterrent to obtaining shop staff —and the necessity of keeping down distribution costs. Penal rates of pay were not payable when 40 hours a week were not exceeded under the old act, but the new act required the provisions of the award to apply, meaning double rates on Saturday, or 17s 8d an hour for senior male assistants. Treble time for Saturday work might become uneconomic. The Auckland association suggested that Saturday should not carry a penal rate. They were trying to achieve equality in ability to compete effectively against the non-employment of labour. “What will happen in New Brighton ultimately I don’t know.” said Mr Barker. “What we are concerned with is the Saturday issue, apart from New Brighton. Applications to a Magistrate should stand or fall on their merits. We submit a man should not be influenced in his application by the penal rates payable. I have no idea what

i shopping hours will be observed in 20 ior 10 years’ time. We are trying 4c preserve not only the five-day week, but the number of hours to be worked. We must always see to it that we preserve Friday night shopping. There is no opening or closing provision in the award because of the operation cf the new act.” The issue was blowing itself so wide open that they were only on the fringe of the development that could take nlace. said Mr E. F. Ward (Christchurch). The whole course of retailing was undergoing a very vital change, the main contributing cause being the advent of the motor-car. They had the incongruous situation in Christchurch of one nart of the city. New Brighton, being able to onen for trade on Saturday. Even if the centre part of the city applied to a Magistrate for exemption it would not be granted, he was certain. Major Problem “I can quite easily see a develop- ■ ment similar to the New Brighton setup growing in Auckland. Wellington and later Dunedin.” said Mr Ward. . The problem was a major one. At the . last conciliation council proceedings the employers conceded Monday to Friday shopping hours with penal rates on Saturdays. It was felt at that time, as far as the retailers were concerned, that it was highly desirable that any store wishing to open on Saturday should not have an advant-

age over other shons. Since those proceedings the advent of the new act had completely changed the picture of penal rates. There was a general feeling in the King Country that possibly in the near future shops would have to open all day on Saturdays and close on Mondays. said Mr L. R. Adams-Schreider (Taumarunui) . Bush workers came into towns on Saturdays in big numbers, and the shops were losing country orders to Auckland firms. The Taumarunui shops would have opened on Saturday but a large number of the staffs did not like Saturday work. Some country stores, such as at Tokanui -and Taupo, opened on Saturday. “We as employers should recognise in time that sections of the community want more elasticity in trading conditions and hours.” said Mr C. D. Ogilvie (Christchurch). In the United States there was freedom of enterprise to trade with suitable penal rates of pay. The federation was looking at the problem from the point of view of employers or employees wanting a fiveday week. He thought the employers were principally concerned with giving service to the public, and that argument stood for Friday night as for any other day of the week. The anomalous position of New Brighton should not be allowed to cloud the issue for the whole of New Zealand. Mr F. Clapshaw (Auckland), who seconded the remit, said he saw no difficulty in the federation affirming the policy as requested. The vital part of the remit was that dealing with penal rates of pay, but it was not one in which difficulty in reaching a conclusion should be met. Stores opening up branches, apart from at seaside resorts. found themselves in difficulties with the small husband and wife businesses. They were placed at a tremendous disadvantage when making employment available to the community by having to pay penal rates. If the federation agreed in policy that there should be no penal rates it might close the door to any effect being given to the Shops and Offices Act by people employing labour, said Mr Ogilvie. The Arbitration Court might not allow labour to be employed without penal rates. . . i