CLOSING HOURS

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 51, 1 March 1921, Page 7

CLOSING HOURS

OBJECTION OF SMALL SHOP-

KEEPERS

NEW BILL NEXT SESSION,

As reported briefly il The Post yesterday, a representative deputation of small shopkeepers, headed by Mr. G. H. Bayliss, waited' upon tlfe Hon. G. J. Anderson (Minister of Labour) to urge that the Shops and Office* Act should be further amendedl, so as to permit small ©hopleeepers, employing no assistants, to keep open later than 6 p.m., tho hour fixed by the amendment Act of last session.

Mr. Bayliss and other speakers stated that th« Act as it now stood' was diverting custom from the suburban shops to tho big city shops. The shops in' the suburbs now had to close at 6 p.m., and many of the suburban residents- did not get home from business till 6 o'clock or later. They suggested that the hour for small shopkeepers without assistants to close "should be 8 p.m., that the closing time should be left to their own discretion, or that the hour of closing should be decided by the majority- of the small shopkeepers in each trad*.

A suburßan tailor stated tha,t, owing to 6 o'clock closing, a customer ir the Government employ, had to get time off to enable him to get measured for a suit,

A retained soldier-said that one' Department of the Government, the Expatriation Department, was assisting returned soldiers to set up in business but another Department, the Labour Department, wae compelling them to close at 6 p.m;, thus putting them out ot business.

The Minuter said that he had just recently taken over the - portfolio of Labour, but hia predecessor- (Sir William Henries) had been guided in this legislation by very competent advisers. The Arbitration Court, throngh Mr. Justico Stringer, had expressed the opinion that the hours of closing of shops should either be fixed by legislation, or the Court should be given .the power to fix the closing hour, in either case iwcspcctiv« of whether assistants were employed in the shops or not. The Act had been some months before the House, but no one in the House or throughout tfee Dominion objected to the clau&e in question, and it went through. Since the extreme difficulties of the position were put before him, Sir William Herries had written a note, dated 26th January, istating:' "This clause was agreed to after representations by employers and shop assistants. TheTe are numerous exemptions,. I would suggest, that an answer should be sent saying that the matter will be again considered when legislation js introduced next session." Mt. Maasey also, the Minister said, had stated in Dunedin that a Bifl would ba introduced, and that if it was not stonewalled it would be carried this coming session. That, said Mr. Anderson, was the Government's intention. The Government would give the Hou6« the opportunity of altering the law. The sympathy of the Government was with the man who waa starting,' and they all wanted to help the returned soldier. He pointed out that neither the extreme Labour men nor the other Labour men in the House had opposed the clause; and that did not look as if Labour objected to it. The Government would' introduce a Bill, and if there was no obstruction h©-had no.doubt- it' would go through.; but if there was obstruction they would have to wait until nest session, when the Government could stand up to it. He suggested that those concerned should hold another meeting, and let the Government know Avhethor they wanted a certain closing hour fixed by statute or wanted to be unlimited in the matter. They seemed rather undecided about it at present; but he pointed onfc that if i#> limit wa* fixed they would have trouble amongst themselves, some wanting •to close at a certain hour, while others wanted to ke«p open. H« thought it would be a'good system if the people in each trade decided when to close.. ■„■■■■'