GROCER’S MOVE

Grey River Argus, 7 August 1937, Page 9

GROCER’S MOVE

FOR A RESTRICTION On Competition by Dairies [Per Press Association]. NEW PLYMOUTH, August 6. Action to prevent competition with grocery shops by dairies after the business hours of former, was sought from the Arbitration Court to-day by both of the parties in the Taranaki Grocers’ dispute. The claims for an Award and the counter proposals both included a clause seeking to enforce the same business hours tor grocery shops and for others selling the same main lines. The hearing was adjourned to Auckland. TT . , Mr. A. W. Croskery, the Unions representative, gave it as his °P’ n " ion that the Shops and Offices Act would give the power which both sides sought. It would be provided that the parties to an award, whether they employed assistants or not, should observe any hours laid down by that award. He said that the suggested clause in the Award which the Court was asked to make, defined the lines sold by growers. When that clause was included, then dairies, or any other businesses substantially competing with grocers, would be added as parties to the award. . ~ There was a similar instance in the case of the butchers’ shops, added Mr. Croskery. Any shop that was selling fresh meat had to observe the same hours as the butchers. “One takes only a quart of milK a day, and sells groceries at night, said Croskery, when mentioning that, at Hastings, there were 78. dairies. Some of those dairies were in unfair competition with grocers. The Union, he said, had urged the grocers to try to protect themselves before, but this was the first time that the employers had adopted the suggestion. As the dispute was adjourned to Auckland, Mr. Justice O’Regan asked Mr. Croskery to make a statement when the Court sat there.