SATURDAY CLOSING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16741, 23 December 1914, Page 8

SATURDAY CLOSING.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —“More Light” has voiced a long needed inquiry. The slipshod way in whioh the Shop Hours Aot is administered in this city is disgraceful. The by-laws enact that shops—with the exception of those selling perishable commodities —shall close at six o’clock each night and one o’clock on Saturdays. Yet if you walk through the city any evening from seven o’clock to nine o’clock you will see half the business places open, and the streets lit up in defiance of either law or custom. This is particularly noticeable in the fancy goods, tailoring and gents’ mercery trades; in fact, these shops, two or three of which are notorious offenders, keep open half the day on all holidays and don’t close till 9.30 or ten o’clock five days in the week. They manage it so cleverly that they practically don’t close at all on public holidays, Show Dav, election day, Anniversary Day, and even Christmas Day. In fact every holiday they wriggle out of it by keeping open half the day and a sufficient number of extra hours the following day that they give no holiday at all. Yet it seems they are “ within the law.” Well, if it is so, it is time that loose sort of legislation was amended and these people no longer allowed to ride rough-shod through Acts of Parliament. —I am, etc., iriv *A TRADESMAN.