SCATHING CRITICISM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1035, 26 January 1911, Page 5

SCATHING CRITICISM.

CLAUSE 13 OF THE SHOPS ACT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Dunedin, January .25.--Clauso 13 of the Shops and Offices Act Amendment. Act, 1910, came in. for some scathing criticism at a meeting, of the local master' drapers. -It' was stated that under Clause 13 it. was made eomplilsory that every shop shall be registered by the occupier thereof ivith"' the inspector of factories in'.'tlie"name-of'one ; person as occupier,'and excepting*m the "case',of husband or wife, 'any'other- person engaged in the business of the shop was deemed a shop assistant, the result being that in a case where the business ■■ is ■ owned by partners one ,had, to declare himself, occupier, while the other was deemed a shop assistant under the Act. An employer, so situated was required to get a permit to work outside-the''pre-scribed hours in connection.- with his own business, and then only permitted to do so to a limited extent. He was also compelled to fill in -the hours he worked and the wages he received in a book to bo approved by the inspector. This clause was regarded by the master drapers as gross interference with the rights of employers, and as an extremely stupid provision. The meeting decided to petition the New Zealand Employers' Federation through the Otago Association to have the clause amended, at the earliest opportunity.