AFTER-HOURS TRADING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 33, 9 February 1939, Page 10

AFTER-HOURS TRADING

GROCERS CONCERNED CONFERENCE TAKES ACTION (By Telegraph—Press Association.) TIMARU, February 8. Upwards "of 40 delegates are attending the annual conference of the1 New Zealand Master Grocers'. Federation. The visitors, who have been favoured by fine weather during their stay, were accorded a welcome by the Mayor and representative citizens. In moving the adoption of the annual report, the president, . Mr. M. J. Campbell, Dunedin, said th«-i Sunday and after-hour trading was, if anything," more prevalent, and storekeepers ;who openljr-flouted the law looked as though they received "moral support from the powers that be. Grocers, as employers of labour, observed the award arid closing hours and yet other storekeepers who did not employ labour sold goods at any time. The position was most unfair and the Government should see that trading was restricted to proper hours. Mr. J. F. Turnbull, Wellington, who seconded the motion, said that afterJiours trading was rampant. Unless they could get protection from unfair competition after hours they would be compelled to dismiss employees. If .they could put up a proper case to the Minister of Labour there was every likelihood of the new Shops and Offices Act being brought into force, which would give the trade some protection against after-hours trading. The Wellington executive had put in a good deal of work, but as it had teen, election year they had not been able to achieve much. Now that things had settled down it was hoped to achieve more this year. The following remit was carried: — That the Ministers of Justice and Labour be requested to ask their respective Departments when taking action for Sunday and after-hours trading to proceed also against the purchaser under section 54 of the Justices of the Peace Act, 1927, for aiding and abetting in the commission of an ofience. Another: remit carried recommended that the Government should be urged to introduce a measure fixing universal opening and closing hours applicable to all shops.