SHOPS AND OFFICES ACT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXI, Issue LXI, 26 January 1911, Page 5

SHOPS AND OFFICES ACT.

SCATHINGLY CRITICISED

BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.

DUNEDIN, Jan. 25. Clause 13 of the Shops and Offices Act Amendment Act, 1910, came in for some scathing criticism at a meeting of the local master drapers. It was stated that under clause IS it was made compulsory that every shoj. shall be registered by the :raßq.sissi3 doi{s beg o^ pauieap sbji aeujo Factories in the nam,e* of one person 'as occupier, and, excepting in the case of husband or >vife, any other person engaged in the business of the shop was deemed to be a shop assistant, the result being that m a case where a business was owned by. partners, one had to declare himself the occupier, while the jo jo^oedsuy qt\% iftt-ii. joa.iai[q. .taidnooo under the Act. and the employer so situated was required to get a permit to work outside the prescribed hours in. connection with his own business, and then was only permitted to do so to a limited extent He was compelled to fill in the hours he worked, and the wages he received, in a book to be approved by the inspector.

This clause was regarded by the master drapers as a gross interference with the rights of employers, and as an extremely stupid provision. The meeting decided to petition the New Zealand Employers' Federation through the Otago Association, to have the clause amended at the earliest opportunity.