SHOPS AND OFFICES ACT.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 128, 26 November 1904, Page 5

SHOPS AND OFFICES ACT.

LATEST STATEMENTS BY THE PREMIER. In the course of an interview published by the Ljttelton Times, the Premier said maps were now being pieparecl showing the boundaries of the whole of the boroughs and town districts whose boundaries were within a mile of each other, and these would be grouped and gazetted in due course. If the first test case failed because the "combined districts" had not been gazetted, then another case Avould be brought after the gazetting. This, no doubt, would definitely settle the legal position. The general tendency of the complaint*, he went on to %iy, resolved itself into a protest from the fruiterers, chemists, and confectioners, and a minority of the hairdressers. If these were exempt, or their hours modified, there would be no further complaint The fruiterers might well be allowed to remain open until 8 o"clock on ueek days and until 10 on Saturdays. Chemists might remain open till seven, and have the same right to open in cases of emergency as they previously possessed under the original Act, and nairdressers might stay open until seven. The Act would then, judging by the communications received, | be generaMy acceptable. Against this, a preponderance of people in business, and of shop assistants, were expressing themselves as thoroughly satisfied with the j new law as it stood. Already a re- j quisition had been made by a. majority of the shopkeepers in Potone on behalf of the boob and shoe shops and bootmakers, asking that the houis of closing as fixed by section 3 should obtain ! in Petone. The requisition had not been certified by the local authority, and had been returned for that purpose. Petone would then have the honour of being the first town to adopt, by requisition, the early closing hours of the Shops and I Offices Act. i On making enquiries, he had ascertined definitely that if Parliament were assembled to-morrow to deal afresh with the measure, there was no hope whatever of the Legislative Council repeating 'section 3. Some members would favour the exemption of fruiterers and ' chemists, but, eVen with regard to these shops they would stipulate that definite hours should be fixed for their closing. Whatever might happen to section .3, section 4 was perfect, and the hours therein fixed for. which assistants could be- employed must be strictly observed. This would be insisted on in all cases, subject to modification. With a fair observance of the law and the Act administered with common sense, tact, and judgmerit, he did not anticipate any difficulty, and in the course of a month or two people would be asking themselves what, all the fuss was about. In reference to the point raised during the argument in yesterday's test case that it might be found that certain of the suburbs, such as JohnsonvilJe and Petone, were affected by the Act as coming within the mile radius, the Labour Department, to whom the matter "was submitted, now find that the shortest distance between any given point on the boundary of the districts thought to be affected ia one and three-quarter miles. A flutter was caused among Petone shopkeepers by the report of Mr. Seddon s statement respecting Petone being the first town to adopt by requisition the Shops and Offices Act. The statement as published is contrary to fact. The requisition referred to was not signed by a majority of shopkeepers in Petone, as a matter of fact there were only five signatures of boot retailers, and even th«j& do not constitute a majority of this particular trade in business at Petone. The local Council, as stated, declined to affix its seal to the petition, pending further information as to the full effect of such action, the question being asked, will such action bring the whole of the borough under the Act, or will its operation be confined to the boot trade only ? ! The majority of retailers apparently fear, judging from the Premier's expressions, that the whole town would be affected. This has resulted in a counter petition being forwarded to the Minister for Labour, setting forth that "the undersigned business men of Petone borough are opposed to closing their places of business at 6 p.m. on week days and 9 p.m. on Saturdays, and trust tnat the Government will j not accede to any petition from residents of this borough having such a proI posal for its object." This is signed by j4l shopkeepers. Evidently the Premier [ was misinformed.