SATURDAY CLOSING

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 February 1947, Page 3

SATURDAY CLOSING

DAIRIES NOT AFFECTED BY r ORDER (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 11. A few more shops are expected to have to close on Saturdays because ot the provisions in the recent Retail Grocers’ Assistants’ Award, in which the Arbitration Court has exercised its nower to order the closing of shops in spite of the fact that the shops do not employ assistants. “In the main, the law is giving effect to a position that has prevailed during the last year or two,” said an official of the Department of Labour to-day. “The Labour Department has not issued any special instruction in the matter. In a few cases it has been enforcing the provisions made by the Arbitration Court. The grocers’ assistants’ award included instructions that shops would not be permitted to open for business on Saturdays, and that included all grocers’ shops in the Wellington industrial district.” The official added that shops which combined a grocery business with dairy or confectionery would have to close unless the grocery business was contained in a subdivision that could be shut down. The majority of dairies selling groceries already had subdivisions. “The majority of grocers’ shops were closed before the recent award was made,” said the official. “The latest instruction by the Court may mean that some dairies may suffer. However, dairies may open if they have a subdivision.” Mr. W. J. Mountjoy, secretary ol the Small Shopkeepers’ Association, said to-day that most small shopkeepers who had been staying open on Saturdays would continue to do so. “These shops include confectioners, dairies, fruiterers, cake shops, cafeterias, tearooms, restaurants, and milk bars so that the sale of milk, butter, bread, cheese, eggs, cakes, biscuits, confectionery, fruit, and vegetables will continue on Saturdays,” Mr. Mountjoy said.