THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 1 December 1945, Page 4

THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

SHOPS AND OFFICES AMENDMENT BILL PASSED Wellington, This Day. Protests against the power contained in the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill for the Arbitration Court to fix a five-day week for shops was made by members of the Opposition during consideration of the Bill in the House of Representatives yesterday. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Holland) who also protested against the introduction of highly contentious legislation so late in the session, said the Bill was designed either to close shops all day on Saturday or to increase wages, and he believed the latter was the Government’s aim. The convenience of the public had been completely disregarded. In moving the second reading of the Bill the Acting-Minister of Labour (Mr O’Brien) said there had been a movement throughout New Zealand for the closing of shops on Saturday, and it seemed to him there should be some responsible tribunal which should say whether shops were to close. Consideration of the Bill occupied the whole sitting. The Opposition called for a division on the clause empowering the Court to fix the closing hours of shops, but the clause was retained. and the Bill was put through all stages and passed. A feature of the formal business at the beginning of the sitting was the unusually large number of urgent questions asked by Opposition members, who sought immediate Ministerial replies to their inquiries so as t<* avoid the delay caused by placing the questions on the Order Paper. A large number of laws are to be amended by the Statutes Amendment Bill, a measure of 95 clauses, which was introduced and read a first time The House rose for the weekend at 6.7 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. on Monday, when it is expected that the Land and Income Tax Amendment Bill will be taken. M