EARLY CLOSING ACT

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 15, 18 January 1921, Page 7

EARLY CLOSING ACT

TO THE EDITOK

, Sir, —To break the local silence regarding the above question, protest against which has already taken concrete form in Dunedin, I am impelled to criticise tho Govormncnt in practically depriving a larfje percentage of small shopkeepers of their chief source of ljvelihood. The circum- | stances under which the Act was passed through the House were really shameful, first oE all, the Bill was misnamod; it snould be entitled "The Closing of Small Shops and Stores Act." That would have been its correct appellation, but the Minister _m charge had not the courage to do 90._ Secondly, it was put through in the dying hours of tho session to an almost ompty House as a. minor and very unimportant question. Hardly anybody knew about it until the press announced that such an Act had been gazetted. Thirdly, it is a well-known political axiom that Governments are- never guilty of initiating legislation," but that some interested group or pressure has been brought to boar on the Government, and only then <loos a Government move. Seeing that it was the small shopkeeper that was the most interested party in this matter, can the Mimaler in charge of that Bill tell us how many deputations petitions and ■resolutions wero paswd and mado to him. by tho_ small shop and storolceopors of tho Dominion requesting him to compel them to close their shops at 6 p.m. ? If it wue not the small shopkeeper, who was it v 1 uttnifr tho \qucstion of political ingenuity aside, on what moral, social, or economic grounds did tho Minister use to get_passed such an Act? Is it an immoral, anti-social, or uneconomical act for a man or a woman (very often a widow) endeavouring to malco a. living out of a small shop, with a very small capital to work a few hours, longer of an evening; he or she does not afik the employees to work any longer, because such people oannot afford to employ any. Tho small man's customers are tho workers (or the stray customer), who are working when his" shop is open, and therefore cannot spare tlio time; when the customer can spare tho time the small shopkeeper must keep I closed. What a farce ! I think the Minister would bo wise to have tho Act suspended until tho next session of Parliament especially in view of the hard times ahead, which will particularly affect tho small shopkeeper.—l am, etc., ,_ , . A LITTLE VICTIM. 1/bn January.

(The cable news In this issue accredited to The rimes' lias appeared in that 'ourniil, but only where expressly stated is sudi news the editorial opinion of "Tbe Times."]