Page 5 Advertisements Column 1

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1416, 26 November 1904, Page 5

A test case under the - Shops Act, brought before J)r. McArthur, was was commenced at Wellington yesterday, the object of the case being to determine whether "combinctl districts'' under the Shops and Offices Act, IUW, exist at the present time, or whether they require to be gazette ted. The case was brought by the Lalx?r Department against Mr Tanner, a shopkeeper at Newtown, who was charged with a breach of the earlyclosin-; clause on Saturday, l'Jth. The facts of keeping open are admitted. Dr. Findlay appeared lor the Labor Department, and Mr Skerret', for the defence. Dr. Findlay, in opening, said the suggestion that the Labor Department did not intend to enforc.-, the .Shops and Offices Aot was quite unfounded. The first point was whether it was necessary to specify cadi combined district. He submitted that under a sub-section of section 8, districts were sufficiently defined, and the district was created. The gajsettiag was .only supplementary evidence of creating districts. Mr Skenott, replying, contended that the ' Labor Department, to secure a conviction. had read words into the Act whi'h did -not exist. At piesent "coniLSned 'districts" was not defined, . and, therefore, did not exist.- Judginent was reserved till-Monday.