WELLINGTON SHOPKEEPERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 492, 27 April 1909, Page 2

WELLINGTON SHOPKEEPERS.

ANNUAL MEETINC OF THE: ASSOCIATION. ' , EVENTS' OF THE YEAR. Tlio annual meeting of tho /Wellington Shopkeepers' Association was hold yesterday morning, tho president, Mr. H. H. Scaton, in tho chair. Thero was a representative attcmlanco of members.' Tho Annual Report. . The. annual report showed that tlio affairs of tho association wore in a satisfactory condition. A further increaso in membership was experienced during tho year, and regular meetings of the exe<futivo committee wero hold. Tho executive committeo desired tho latter fact to bo emphasised.- It was not nccossnry, stated'tho committal in its report, that general meetings' of tho association should bo called except on occasions . when questions affecting tlio interests of. tlio wholo camo up for consideration. When tho interests of 0110 particular class of business only was concerned, tbo requirements of tho caso were sufficiently, met by a conference between tlio oxccutivo' committeo and tlio.so mombers who represented that business. Tho Half-Holiday Question. , Exception is taken, iir tlio committee's report, to tlio action of . tbo Trades and Labour Council in arrogating to itself the business of settling tho half-holiday, question by attempting tp' havo a poll taken. "As to why tho //Trades': \and..'Labour Council' should.'tako'this important matter in hand it is hard "to, understand, (states tho report) unless' : the answer'bo that in their opinion a universal Saturday half-holiday' would bo advisable, which, of course, means, 'Let tho shop-assistantf (never mind tho interests of tho shopkeeper, that is quite /! a secondary consideration) havo a holiday oil Saturday instead of on Wednesday.' Action will bo taken by tho ixccutivb: committeo during tho early part of ■ tho Parliamentary session, opening'..in June, to .'.endeavour to havo tho clause in the Shops arid Offices Act," 1908. which gives tho public tho power to decide the day . for tho statutory, half-holiday, repealed.' It is fairly .claimed by shopkeepers that they should, if a poli is to be taken, decide'this matter/ Shopkeepers are in business for tho privilege of making a living, as well as for the sole convenience of tho general public. Though every effort was .recently made by tho Wellington Trades and . Labour Council to'obtain.tbo.nqcessary number of signatures to demand tho taking or a poll, they failed to. obtain their object. • It is important ! to notice that, very few. shop assistants' signed tho petition, for. Saturday. In this they, are,to ,be complimented. It was indeed wise on'the part of ( thoso who. refused to 1 sign, because it is a. fact that very many shopkeepers, find.. Saturday , trade / tho., 0110 day's work of. the whole week" which enables them to pay their.way," ■ ~ ~ Industries Woelt* .."It has- been, reported," states/the: com"that tho . Wellington ; Provincial IndustriabAssociationjutends holding another |New Zeala'nd Industries Week, from May 12 to. May '19. This is a movement .deserving of strong support from shopkeepers, and they, aro'eordially asked, ahd'will doubtless find it :'to their ..interestsj to''support the .action of that association." ... ;' ■, ■v. - ';: General. •During the year,: continues the; a deputation from tho association: waited upoii the Minister for- Labour (Hon. A. W. Hogg) with to matters affecting the general interests of 'retail trading. establish fnonts,, and, states tho committee, • ''.thanks aro due, and recorded, to -him,, forhis courtesy ..iii.receiving;. the deputation,, audtbarofuily weighing what,was said." . '. ' -The .association-/!is, .still'affiliated with the , Wejlingtoli Employers' j.ion >. and relies ■ on'its support sbou]d''ine iilwessity for taking' action in the ' interests of.' trade.';generally ever arise. •'. ■:■!, ;'. .' • : The.report concludes with an expression ofthanks to-the City Council'. Fbi/ !courteous" consideration- of. certain matters ■plaoed before it by. the association ', during the year; and to. tho. press, the members 0 f the .executive committee, : and: the'secretary. lOn tho motion of ;Mr. Jones (Jones and Ashdown), seoonded by Mr. D. Milligan, the report was adopted. -- ■ . - ;■'. : '. Cousidcration of tho balance-sheet was hold over till the',' next' meeting,; pending 'the!; re*. ceipt of outstanding dues. It is'anticipated' tliat there wilt bo a credit balance of £24 17s. Id. Tho .matter- of- ..collecting: outstanding accounts was referred to by Mr. S. G. Ross. J3e moved that members co-operate in calling in overdue accounts.-. :,The' •; motion w;as- - seconded, / and carried unanimously. ;!.. ' . The secretary!s honorarium, was increased byfivo guineas. - . • Election of OfTicors. Tho following officers were' elected .for. tho ensuing year: — \ , ; ■ • President, Mr. H. H. Scaton (re-elected); vice-presidents,. Messrs. S. G. Ross, and W,. T. Quinton; executive, Messrs. :H. Wardell, J.' T. Millingtoii, T. Queree, A'. W. Moi'aii; P. J/oakes„ W. F. Ross, J. Kuoli, C. G. Sherwood, P. / Holtenj i E. Norton, , peo. Winder; auditors, Messrs. Hunter and Wickers. Compliment to tho President. At the close of the formal.proceedings, Mr.. D. Milligan, on behalf of tho members of the association,/ presented Mr, Scaton (the president) with a'- fyandMme .pockettok; '• appro; : priately engraved, as'a souvenir of 1 the .occasion aud.a token of esteem. ' Replying to the compliment; tendered, to him, Mr/ Scaton acknowledged his indebtedness to'the mombers of; tho esecutivo committee, whose co-operation , had . been : of material. assistance to. hiii in administering,tlio. ..affairs 1 of tho .association/., Referring to 1 the association's prograrimio for the commg year,. .the., speaker said-it was their intention to endeavour- to effect the repeal of the clause 1 , in .tho Act providing .for a' popular, referendum on tho-question of the-weekly / halfhbliday. Tito middle-class and smaller, shopkeepers regarded- Saturday as their i bestday. the day upon which the profits of- their businesses actually depended; and they' wero not : prepared to leave the decision as to. which was the .better-day- in. the hands of tho public. ... 1 ■ '... ~ Mr. Seaton then spoke strongly of the ne- • 'cessity .of enforcing the by-law; expectoration on; tho footpaths or the. city.' This was an increasing, evil,-urgently, requiring vigorous action'by the police. Obscene language-in public, thoroughfares was of . too. regular It was . disgusting, . and should bo stamped-out firmly. Ho had lived in Now York, Chicago, and Liverpool, and had 1 never dieard in. these places-such -lan-, guago as was frequently te be heard in .tho streets of Wellington. "It would . make; a Liverpool fireman blush," lie remarked. : -.' Mobbing tho Police. Mr. Seaton went on to say that something was required ill the direction of obviating the unpleasant. publicity! and frequent commotion which attended the arrest of an individual in tlio public thoroughfares! / ITo disapproved of arrested persons being dragged through the streets, followed by. an obstructive crowd of hangers-on, and recommended for tho consideration of > the authorities tho system, of patrol wagons for the" convovanco of persons under arrest. The. system was iii vogue in certain parts..of England "and iii America,'and had -an important'advantage over tlio New Zealand system in that thoro was no need for the constable on thoroughfare duty to leave his beat. He simply rang . up the station, and .. asked ' for the patrol ■wagon. : -_. !": ■ V The speaker concluded with', a reference to tlio necessity for .combating restrictive legislation which tended to ' press heavily upon middle-class- shopkeepers", and affirmed' the asspciatioii's' desiro te make tho conditions of shop assistants more congenial. "Soino people," lio I .' said, "can get a good living between the hours of 10 and 4, but there are others who have to work, and work hard, from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m." '