SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL

Evening Star, Issue 12551, 8 July 1905, Page 8

SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL

RESOLUTION BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. A special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce to discuss the provisions of the Shops and Offices Bill w.'is Itcld yesterday afternoon. Mr It. M. Clark (chairman) presided, and about twenty gentlemen were present, The Chairman, after intimating that be had an apology for absence from Mr Thos. Brown, who was out of the colony, referred to the specific object of the meeting, which was to consider the effect of the Bill upon, warehouses ami other offices. As far as offices were concerned, the Act had not caused so much d.s.sa.titsfaction as in its relation to shops. Hio Chamber of Commerce h.id received a. oommunicatioii from some of the wholesale wareltousemen, asking them to .support something in the nature of a protest against the application of the Act to offices, and hence this nneetin«r. Ho thought Mr W. E. Svrgood had something to propose ' . Mr iSargood said that, ho thought he voiced the, opinion of the wholesale wan"'housemen. As chairman of their Association ho had called a meeting, at which a resolution h;id been passed that, as it was necessary to take some steps to have the warehousemen exempt from the clauses of this Bill, the Chamber should be requested to act in the matter. He need not explain the reasons why they weire all trpposed to this Bill. It' was very inconvenient, for any commercial house to have one part, of its employees under one set of regulations and another part under quite different relations. When the Bill was first, introduced it, was intended to have warehouses included, but it was afterwards decided to exempt a portion of warehouse, staffs. As he read tlte Bill, it included the whole warehouse staffs*—clerical and otherwise; for there was no oue in his employ (and be supposed it was the same with the others present) who did not do some clerical work. With somo diffidence "he would move—- " That, in the opinion of this meeting, all wholesale warehousemen who give an annuo! holiday of not less than ten clear days, for which salary was paid, in addition to th? ordinary public holidays, and who pay sick leave to the extent of one month per annum to any individual, shoidd be exempt from the provisions of the Act." That was ' practically the resolution passed by the j Warehousemen's Association in Auckland, j ami submitted to the Chamber, and ho j understood that, the Chamber intended taking action in the matter. Jlr Hentou seconded the motion. | Mr J. 0. Thomson asked what clauses of the Act would be affected by the present before the House. It seemed to i him a remarkable thing thai an Act should be brought into operation, suspended ; by tho Premier, and reopened for fresh I evidence to lie taken. That evidence should ' haye been taken before the Act ,wias put on l the Statute Book. This meeting was j now a«lc«<l to a. mocioxi. mailing a. ' distinct class in the colony. If the House, were only going to deal with one or two clauses, they might support, the motion; hurt if the House, were going to review the whole of the Act, this was an improper motion to come before the Chamber. For if the Act were going to apply at all they could not make any exemptions. The Act was never wanted at all by employers or embloyees, except by a few noisy ones. Mt'W. Gow said that if they had met as a chamber of commerce they had more to Ido thaji to consider any ■ class that desired exemption. They had to consider tie interests of traders—retail and wholesale—as 1 whole. H© did not think they should put] themselves in the position of saying to Parliament "If we must have legislation of this kind, we wish to have exemption fori a certain class." If the resolution were Altered to read that exemption was desired for| any ehrfp or warehouse which would oonrpry with the terms of the resolution, then there could be less objection to it. Mr Sargood said that he had not studied the! matter from the retail point' of view. He I had come understanding that this was a nleefcing of wholesale warehousemen. Jlr J. 0. Thomson said that he looked at ]t from a New Zealand point of view. Thujre should be no class legislation. The I resolution should apply to all employers in the colony. Sir Gow moved, as an amendment that would not interfere with Mr Sargood's moliion, that the word "employers" take : thei place of the words " wholesale ware- I housemen" in the motion. 1 Mr Bridemaa seconded tin*. . I

.Mr Sargood eaid ho most object to the alteration, as altering the w&iole reading of his motion. Mr Govt remarked tliat as a chamber of commerce they were only justified in supporting a principle that, would apply to everyone with whom they were concerned. Mr Sarjiood then withdrew his motion, and Mr Gow's amendment wae made the resolution and passed, Mr K. Glendining voting against it. The resolution read: " That, in the opinion of this mooting, all employers who give an annual holiday of not less than ten clear days, for which salary is paid, in addition to the ordinary pnblic holidays, and who pay sick leavo, if necessary, to the extent of one month per annum' to any individual, should bo exempt from the provisions of the Act." It. was further resolved—"That a copy of this resolution bo forwarded to the chairman of the Labor Bills Committee."