NO LATE NIGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24216, 6 March 1942, Page 4

NO LATE NIGHT

SHOPS CLOSE AT SIX GOVERNMENT DIRECTION CITY COUNCIL COMPLIES OPERATION NEXT WEEK The question of changing the shopping hours in Auckland City was settled last night, when the City Council received a direction from the Minister of National Service, the Hon. R. Semple, under the emergency regulations,'to fix 6 p.m. as the closing hour on the late shopping night for all shops for which the ordinary closing time, except on half-holidays and late nights, was 5.30 p.m. or earlier, the resolution to take effect next Monday. The council complied, although a number of members objected to the procedure. The .Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, stated that previously the Minister had authorised the council to make the alteration, but an hour before the meeting he had received a telephone call from Wellington, conveying the text of a direction, which was being forwarded by post. He moved a motion in terms of the direction. Compulsory Decision A number of councillors expressed their strong opposition to a procedure whereby the council was directed to carry a motion in terms laid down by the Government. Some also criticised the altered shopping hours as being against the wishes of retailers, the interests of the public, and the exigencies of transport. The Mayor explained that, in any case, he would have felt bound to submit a motion effecting the change, because the congregation of people in the city at night was most undesirable in every way under present conditions. A distinction must be made between this matter and the two others involved. Shops could not be compelled to make an earlier start on account of the sheer inability of -' the transport system to handle the extra traffic. He was sorry that the Minister's direction did not give effect to the recommendations of various meetings that had been held, as he had confidently hoped that an offset would have been granted. At the same time, he wished to make it clear that retailers had not been unanimous about closing later than 5.30 p.m. Majority of Two If the present motion were not carried, the Mayor added, he would probably, as Mayor, have to give a direction in similar terms the following day. In reply to a question, the Mayor said that all other local authorities in the Auckland E.P.S. area would receive the same direction from the Minister forthwith. He could not say whether the altered hours would apply throughout the Dominion. The Mayor: I have consulted the city solicitor, and there is no question of the validity of the direction. Mr. H. P. Burton: Why is the council made an intermediary in this way? The only satisfaction I can get out of it is that at last we have evidence that someone is behaving like a dictator in this country. The Mayor: We are the body to fix the late night, and we are directed to put the law into operation. The motion was carried, on a division, by 10 votes to 8. TRANSPORT PROBLEM EXTRA STRAIN ON SERVICES Representatives of the Transport Board, headed by the chairman, Mr. J. Sayegh, and of the Auckland Drapers and Allied Retailers' Association conferred yesterday regarding shopping hours, when the difficulties of tram and bus transport were outlined. Mr. A. E. Ford, engineer and manager of the Transport Board, said that to carry 2500 shop assistants into the city half an hour earlier would require 32 additional trams and would entail the recalling of men who had been on duty up to one o'clock that morning. To engage extra staff to obtain another hour's work would cost about £32,000 a year. On behalf of the suburban- motor transport services, Mr. N. B. Spencer said these were in a worse position than the tralms. Every vehicle was in use and was badly overloaded to an extent that would not have been tolerated in normal times. His own company had carried 1,000,000 more passengers last year than in the preceding 12 months. Mr. F. A. Smith said the retailers were of the opinion, which was supported by legal advice, that the proposed shopping hours did not fit in with the legal position. The secretary of the association, Mr. R. M. Barker, said the Minister had no power under the regulations to order that shops should close at 5.30 p.m. on four nights of the week; lie had authority only to fix the closing hour on the late night. It was, competent for the Auckland City Council to declare for six o'clock closing from Monday to Thursday inclusive.