LATE SHOPPING NIGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24178, 21 January 1942, Page 6

LATE SHOPPING NIGHT

retention in whangarei (0.C.) WHANGAREI, Tuesday Taking the view that if the Government desired to eliminate the late shopping night it should issue regulations •compelling earlier closing, a conference between the executive of the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor, Mr. W. Jones, decided that the existing shopping hours would be unaltered. The present method of leaving it to local authorities meant that they had to decide the question, with the result that any alteration to the shopping hours would not necessarily be national. The executive of the Chamber of Commerce expressed the willingness of the Whangarei business community to co-operate in every possible way with the carrying out of the E.P.S. regulations, but the business people did not feel obliged to forgo the Friday night if it was not essential in the national interests. It was unanimously decided to observe Anniversary Day, January 29, as a holiday. CHANGE MADE AT WAITJKU EARLIER OPENING HOUR (0.C.) WAIUKU, Tuesday A rearrangement of shopping hours has been made at Waiuku, eliminating the late shopping night on Friday. The closing time for shops on Fridays is now 6 p.m. The hours on other days have been lengthened, largely by making the opening time 8 a.m. daily, although some of the shops open a little later than this. Shops opening at S a.m. are closing on Mondays to Thursdays inclusive at 4.45 p.m. and on Saturdays at noon, making a total of 49 hours in the week in which they are open. With an hour off for lunch on five days of the week, the employees thus work 44 hours a week. The curtailing of petrol allowances resulted in a marked decline in business on Friday nights, and it was unanimously agreed by the shopkeepers that it would now be a better plan to jp ve j the extra shopping time on other days of the week and conserve the electricity required for lighting on Friday nights.