SHOP ASSISTANTS' BILL. (BY TELEGRAPH.) (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Wellington, September 21.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8083, 22 September 1894, Page 3

SHOP ASSISTANTS' BILL. (BY TELEGRAPH.) (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. ) Wellington, September 21.

Tho Shop Assistants' Bill was pub through in Oommitteo in tho Council this evening, coming out of tho ordeal in a completely emasculated foim. Hotol burrs wore unanimously struck ofF tho list of places to bo closed, and on Mr Ormond's motion banks, insurance offices, and tho commercial and othor business houses wore added to the list of premises to bo closod on tho wookly half holiday. An amendment by Mr .Reynolds to oxornpt memboiH of a shopkeeper's family, as well as tho shopkeeper himself, was lost by 14 to 11. Book stalls at railway stations wore included in oxompttoutj. On Ux Rigg'e motion a division

was tft Icon as to closing on Saturday afternoon, tho proposal being negatived by 20 to 3, thus loaving tho day of closing to local bodies. On Mv Shvimski's motion it waamadomandatory, instead of permissive, that chemists' shops shall bo open 1 between 7 and 9 in tho ovoning of tho diy of closing of shops. Tho amendment of tho Libor Bills Committee providing lhai young persons shall not work for moro than 52 hours a week, oxo) tiding meal hours, except ono day in tho week, when twelve and a half hours may bo worked, and also tho provision to allow three extra hours' work on forty days of tho yoar for tho purposes of stock taking, wero agrood to. It was decided by 12 votes to 7» to allow those shopkeopors who had boon obsorving Saturday to continue to do so oven though tho lop »1 body decided on a mid-weokly half-holiday, A now subsection was added at Mr Ormond's instance necessitating oflioes to closo by 0 p m, on each week day and 1 p.m. on S.iturdiiy, an extension for a oouplo of hours being inado on not more than six days m oach month. Tho provisions of this section aro not to apply to (-hipping, newspaper, and tramway oflioes. Tho Attorney-General intimatod his intention of moving for a recommittal of the Bill on Tuesday for the purpose of striking out tho amendment defining a shop hh a place where any person works for hire. Messrs Macf/iogor and Bolt oharactorisod the Bill as pcrfooMy useless in its amended form, and Mr Macgrogor gavo nottco thas ho would try and lnvo struck out.all but tho first clauso and last ono, which ropoals the existing law. The experience of tho pust four sessions goes to bhow that it it impossible to have placed on tho stituto book a satisfactory law regulating the control of shops and shop omployoos.