THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1891.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8632, 30 July 1891, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1891.

The House of Representatives during yesterday indulged in the passing of ! some stringent and penal legislation on 1 subjects which ought not to be dealt •with by the law. The Government cannot expect that these Acts will be supported, as all Acts should be, by the common sense of the community, and therefore to evade their provisions will not be accounted a fault. Clause 9 of the Shop Hours Bill prohibits any man from doing any business in his shop by means of members of his own family, beyond the hours laid down by Jaw. Mr. R Thompson (Marsden) moved an alteration in the clause, which would enable a man to do business provided; he did not use the services of an employee. Mr. W. P. Reeves, who is in charge of these Labour Bills, said if this was carried he would have to consider if it was worth while to go on with the Bill. The amendment was therefore defeated by 26 to 16. To make things secure if possible in the event of a prosecution, it has been enacted that no justice of the peace who.is a shopKeeper shall bit as a justice in any case under the Act. This takes for granted that the whole of the shopkeepers are against the Act, and also that a large proportion of the justices would not carry out the law. It is something like an acknowledgment that the law is unjust, and is in the interests of one class, as against those of another. Then Mr. Fish moved a clause so as to prevent the shops allowed to remain open, such as druggists, confectioners, tobacconists, fruit and vegetable shops, etc., from selling any article sold in any shop which is compelled to close. This was carried by 29 to 8, although we should think it would be difficult to enforce. A detective will have to be stationed in every shop allowed to keep open extended hours to see that they sell no article vended in another shop which is compelled to close. Many articles, however, are sold at present in the shops which it is proposed to allow to remain open, and also in those which it is proposed to close. Which will be compelled to give up the sale of these 1 Mr. ■ Reeves is to appeal to the Crown law officers to see if their ingenuity will enable them to construct workable 1 provision on this subject. Sir John llall moved a clause that nothing in the Act should prevent the sale or repair of any parts or fittings of agricultural implements, and this was agreed to. There are many tilings quite as , pressing as the repairs to a plough, but they are debarred. Mr. Bryce tried to get in a clause so as to allow provisions to be sup--1 plied to a mail steamer which might arrive after the legal hour, and whioh ' might have to leave before the legal hour, but this was defeated. Such occasions frequently arise at our port.

But henceforth any steamer coming tj> 1 Auckland after five o'clock had betted 1 as far as this kind of accommodation is J' concerned, have gone on shore at thfc ] Auckland Islands, for there crew and I passengers could help themselves to the provisions at the depdta.at any hour of ( the twenty-four. -, Mr. Bryce also at- ( tempted to obtain leave to supply ; goods to lodgers, and that requisites might be supplied in case of sick- , ness. But in vain. The amendment , •was negatived by 28 to 8. There > are many 'cases in which articles for , a ■* sick person may have to be ot> ] tained from a grocer's shop. If the life : of that sick person depends upon obtaining »any. of these he must just die. 1 It is scarcely possible to conceive that suah provisions can be carried out. And yet the division is 28 to 8 in a body of ; men supposed to represent the common sense and the opinions of the country. The Shop Hours Bill was read a third time and passed, after "a protest from Sir John Hall, who said that before long the Bill would be regarded as an intolerable hardship by the people cf the colony. We are sure of it. For ii.» stance, at the present time the San Francisco steamer often comes in m the evening, and leaves early next morning. The passengers have all purchases to make, but hereafter these cannot be made here. It . has been the custom for a bookseller at the Arcade to open : to accommodate passengers ' with any books they may want, ana to sell stamps to enable the passengers to post letters. Henceforward, a corps of detectives will see that these crimes are put a stop to. The Bill has now passed the House of Representatives, and the only thing left is -to deluge • the Legislative Council with petitions, asking that body to reject it. Is such a Bill as this anything else than a tyrannical measure, which the Russian Government would be ashamed oil - ; '