FRUITERERS' MEETING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12713, 16 November 1904, Page 6

FRUITERERS' MEETING.

x.'A ,'• || A DISASTROUS BLOW. 'TALK OF PASSIVE RESISTANCE. PETITION TO THE MINISTER. i .A' crowded meeting of <• fruit- and confectionery retailers was field in the Hibernian t ; Hall last evening, convened • for, the purpose |p ' ©i" protesting against tha Shops <uid Offices |p|l Act. There were a great many ladies preIpi Ji sent, also some Chinese fruiterers, the latter , /laniiMtiLg a particularly ; keen interest in 1 the proceedings. -Air. C. Bagley; presided, I•' \', and - having explained the objects of the meetings ventured . the.' opinion : : that' al11' though a very serious mistake had been made !. by is }" Gcv«ramsot, ihe attributed &it ■';. to; ■ ignorance, and to the neglect of members oi i'ariiaiaeut to keep themselves better in- : formed of what was going oa. Ho hoped ''the Oovenimeat would' tal:e immedate steps " 'to rectify the mischief, and to atone for the L i blunder; by suspending tha operation of the Act, until it was amended. Fruiterers, in s| | common with other fiho'pkeepersj,' had been fQf?' blamed for allowing the ; Bill to become law \'f, while tbere was time to alter and amend it; |g^^&bx^&ey!: shared that reproach with their reprsbeatfttifes in Parliament ; who had,' it ?|j| if as- obvious,-not made themselves fully acquainted with the scope ;of ; ther.measure.; i t ' li the members did know what they were $jf " doing he could not understand how as Bane rational persons* they j scald have allowed | | such an ; aosurdity to "be "perpetrated. ■£ {Applause.) He thought the Auckland members " dbould hive kept, their constlfcttQnts fully posted as to what was going on in the House ■in regard to this measure, but hesitated to HHI \ oondSnn them | without- having ?s Hansard H before' him. If uue Auckland members were fev ' mat prepared to fight < the battles "of) those who sent them to -Parliament, then the Jv ''j electors would know ,what to do-when they.'; V: wect to the,- poll. | (Cfoeere.) Mr. Bagley ; ; then condemned the grievous • vrs»to of time m . ' fa?} members ;generally, who -seemed to go to Parliament ■ i for the a pur pose of making "; ;><- \ " frivolous speeches, and calling one another.;] ' Ulf such names as - " rsajf-a-frog-and-balf-a-lion." j . . (Laughter.) They wens seat to Paiiiement j f|p% for serious' work,' and to conduct themselves I when transacting tha business of the■ court: j |i' try as sana, ration;, and . honest men. ,| (" Hear, bear."} They might have known | that fruit-shopkeepers would not be the only ; !| ,'s, business people affected. The growers would t,r : most: certainly feel the pinch of restricted business, and so $19 evu would reach out to persons dependent upon the fruitgrowers, ■ dealers, or retailers! r, . Bagley then read I | the , following / p&tiUoa, which he moral : should be sent to the Minister for Labour Sllfir (Mr^i'Skldon) I Sb» petition of Qua »aer^ro4^tfidt«nw*Soic Auckland and ; suburbs humbly f*!ieweta—l. Tour fgl'Ss- petitioners are .engaged 1a.. ; the business of fruiterers t wteji j and fruit : dutributera. 2. The Industry of growing ( and raising fralt, has risen to considerable propor\a- tions in the provincial district of Auckland. 3. The IgtesE greater part ,of » fruiterer's t batlncw4 J? done i alter < . the hour of six in the evening, the period of general , ; y *; . public ; relaxation '.t beginning . about that , time, ; end: sceh business is especially,active in connection with popular entertainments, such 'as theatres, : caneMle,. . bazaars, and ether resorts patronised by the people during their hoars Sof amusements, which i. fc.otir3 necesaarßy set in with the := approach <. of i dusk. t li4.: Sijl Tbs closing of fruiterers' shops after «ix o'osoci,!ln.' the evening must of necessity : to; greatlj restrict the sale of trait as to lessen the demands of tie PtgM trade upou the growers-tor the otmiiuodity, and tlw» react i injuriously : apon ■ the : business of: fruitgrowing, soch froStgrowing ■; being oae fef the chief ; sources : - «f livelihood of tha settlers not only to the districts: •• ' i • adjacent to Auckland, but %in 3 tha;:; Walkato and ■i" STj. Auckland. 8. As the chief j. work .ef'th# era- ; P '. Bloyeei'.la fruiterers' shops occurs after sis in the V. ; '' £ evening your petitianers . are led 'to : recognise» that f%kKaidtb'3 : prohibition of the y evening trade they must - BScesea^iy, dismiss large • numbers ,cl their present J.ifm «mployee?,4 the : business of the day time ; not .war-. y noting ins ' maintenance 'of - the: same ;number cf '- 1 bunds -. as heretofore. 0. . Year petitioners are-: sdSgMf -rlsed«hat <it is ,in the interests of public health : Iffthat the », ecaannipti'ioa'.'' of frcit" should be In every ; >'fe j way eneoaraged. If. lour -..- petitioners k beine con.r'; vinced for the foriigolcg reasons that the enforcement of the Shops and Offices Act,.1904, will, lessen ft employment, .•• Injure the fruiterers, and v destroy ' the > ";,h-> fruitgrowing Industry, and fail to promote the public J"fi V' health, : humbly pray that you would be ; pleased to - exclude ' fruiterers' ■ shops from; the operation of the M* r Act, and would without delay instruct the inspectors appointed l under tie Act lof . the exclusion .of . such shops ■ from its operation, or, jia, the. alternative, ' pending a reference of the ! matter to Parliament ifi "' direct, such ■ inspectors meantime to refrain from in■titnting any; proceedings against v fruiterers ; in re spoct of any failure to close fruiterers' shop* at sir ->i o'clock in the evening. ' <•;. ' 'Mr. A. Tooman (auctioneer) said' if the f 'v ' 'Act' was insisted upon by the Government j it would mean the ruin of the fruit retailing business, and would also involve the fruitrowers, fruit - dealers,' and / auctioneers, 'rait- must be regarded from an entirely ' r different standpoint ; from that " taken; in viewing any other trade. : It was, a perish- \ able product, and in most cases, if not sold :i at night, would not keep till "morning.' This f was especially the ease in regard to strawberries and "other sort fruits which were V • just coming in. . Again, tons of strawberries ."•-v. v- r. were sent from Birkenhead and orth cote ;, to Wellington, all solid to arrive. ' They 1 reached there in time for the evening sale, 1 and if not disposed of at night were unsalable, or, at any rate, were not «o market- . ; able the next morning. He stated that that % ' day of hie own knowledge there had been a i loss on.sales of new potatoes in the Auck- % . , land market of over ' £100, the potatoes j fetching |d, instead of Ud per lb, in conse- I qjence of retailers not tyjing able to take 1 .X ■ the lines they would hajii taken ! had they-' . not closed last evening. a, >.iShame.); ■ I . Mr. Turner (fruiterer) the effect, of Act v must be to divert custom from 0 the fr\ut shops where a §Teat mineral water business was done, to the , public-houses, when drinks '..were needed alter six o'clock, especially m summer. ; - . . Mr. Pnrrish (fruitgrower;, said tha <jrowing of strawberries and other fruit ' had built #1?; op Northcote and Birkenhead;' hac ponulated them : ; with a most 'desirable* cm so f settlers, working^thrifty,v and enter- i:; prising men, who had put great labour and ?■ Wti' ' considerable capital | into the development ' ,oi fruitgrowing. Now the Government, by

,M J-' H ! 5 * , this Act-, and at this very time of the year wheal strawberry growers' had made ftfl &r range meat's for tic season, dealt the indus try a very sevewi blow from which it couli apt recover unlets the operation of the Ac was suspended. Strawberries had to b< brought over to Auckland it} the evening and were arriving here from, five p.m. t< eight p.m., fresh and ready for sale thai evening. ; The effect of the operation of th< Act would be to' prevent all that, and ht could not tell how serious the consequence* would be for growers. . Northcote woulc certainly be very'hard hit. Mr. W. Richardson counselled the shop keepers , keeping their shops open. " You will .-win if you fight the law; but jou will not Win if you do not fight it. ' ou have paid your Auckland members £1300 a yeai each to do your 'business, and they have recklessly neglected it.". (Cheers.) Mr. Evans (fruiterer) ad the Act would mean a very serious toss to him in his business. He advocated keeping the shops open, or if not that, then waiting until February and then closing them altogether. Mr. J. D. Webster (fruiterer) considered that the Auckland members -of Parliament i'Ught to be ashamed of themselves for allowing such a Bill to become law, and regretted that they were not. present to explain their attitude in this matter. Retailers should stand to their guns and decline to dose their shops. The authorities could not prosecute ail, could not imprison all. (Applause.) Mr. S. T. Tilley (fruiterer) said the trade had never experienced such a disastrous alow as this Act. It would be a most serijus matter for the soft fruitgrowers, who, instead of getting Is or Is Id a basket for strawberries would have to sell them to the jam factories at sd. Mr; Turner (fruiterer) said it was most illogical to insist upon fruiterers closing at six, and permitting publicans to remain open till ten. Mr. Laurie (confectioner) pointed out that in the winter, when fruit was scarce, fruiterers did a great deal in confectionery. One* effect of the Act- would be the limita,ion of - the output of confectionery. It was ibsut'd to suppose that a gentleman going 0 the theatre and wishing to purchase a box >i chocolates, would do so eariy in the day ; luch business was done after six o'clock, and 1 purchase of that kind, like fruit, would lot oe deferred until nest day, therefore hat kind of business, - unlike -drapery or jrocery-purchases, would be lost. ■ Mr. A. J. Eatriean (wholesale conleeioner) sympathised with the objects of the ueetiag. Legislation which applied to a •l;»5s or a province was bad legislation. Who iad asked for this legislation? He aniwered, a' strong organisation which was at he t>ack of the movement-. Such legislation vas'instigated, fcv the strong and well organised againHt the weak,* and the effect of his Act would be to drive the struggling ittie l shopkeeper, often a widow, or pertaps an invalid, out. into the street and on » the charitable aid rates. (Shame.) He idvised passive resistance, as was displayed n England by thoise who preferred to be sold up and go to prison rather than pay Jte rates levied unaer the Education Act. The proper - thing .to be done was to fight shoulder to shoulder against the Act. They .•ouhl make their voices hoard by not paying their fines, if prosecuted, but let themselves be sold up, then such a storm of indignation would be raised as would compel /he Government to abandon the Act. (Applause.) The 1 continued operation of this shops Act. would mean empty shops and re. duction bi labour. ,He knew of two assistants who had. been dismissed that day, in loasequence of the Act. (Shame.) Other lismissals, he knew, would follow in the ionfcctionerv trades.' What"was to be done rvith the, girls and boys if the Government stepped in.and lessened labour and'op'por,unities of commeioial development in this say? (Applause.) Idr. T. B. Arthuii (auctioneer) ' advised joiioerted action, all four centres, and not Auckland alone, working together in resisting the Act. Mr. Tooir.an adviied keeping tins shops »pea, not in defiance of the law, but as a protest, and" he undertook to be responsible co the extent of £50 to meet possible contingencies. (App?aufie.) ■ The* chairman then pat the resolution, which , was "carried with enthusiasm. , He added that the Wellington' fruiterers were responsible for the Act, as they wished to protect themselves against the Chinamen there. Subsequently Mr. Tooman withdrew his suggestion of taking any further action, agreeing to let this remain m abeyance until the petition'had had time to be received in Wellington. | 'The petition was then circulated in the room among*fruiterers, and a great number of signatures ware attached. ■ It was also decided to get the signatures of customers.