SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5731, 28 October 1905, Page 9

SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL.

RESULT OF THE SECOND CONFERENCE. EXPRESSIONS OF DISAPPROVAL. Yii-:ter(lay afternoon ’-be second conference between the representatives of the Lower Kouio and the Legislative Council was hold, and the following compromise was arrived at:— T« delete hub-elaucc 1 of new clause 3a, and insert the following: I. Subject i o tho pr widens of tho principal act, ami to any award of tho Arbitration Court, shop assistants shall not be employed— . a. In or about a shop in which any one or moro of the trades or businesses mentioned U the .schedule are exclusively carried on after tho hour sou opposite to *uch trade or business, provided that no female assistant shall be employed in or about - any such shop (other than _ a refreshment room) after nine o’clock in the evening, except on Christmas Eve or N'ow Year’s Eve. or b. 7n or about any other shop if situated within a combined district or a borough not forming part of a combined district, ami having a population of 3UOO. or up-* 1 wards, after 1 o’clock in the afternoon of tho statutory closing day, or nine o’clock in the evening of one working day in each week, or six o’clock in the evening of any other working day. or c. Tn or ab>nt any other shop if situated within a borough not included in paragraph b after one o’clock in tho' afternoon of the statutory closing day,, or nine o’clock in the evening of one! working day in each week or seven j o'clock in the evening of any other working day, or , , . , , d. In or about any'Shop not included| in any of tho foregoing paragraphs after j one o’clock in the aftornom of tho statu- 1 lory closing dav. or such hours on other; working days as may he fixed by the oc- 1 cupierw for closing such shop. | la. Notwithstanding anything in tho. principal act or in this section, a chem--ist imiv keep hL shop open and employ, his assistants (but only for the supply of medicines ami surgical appliances) bo-‘ tween the houns of seven and nine o clock ; in tho evening of tho statutory closing; day. . , . I lb. Tho members of an occupiers family shall not be deer Jd to be shop assist-1 an's within the meaning of this section, j provided that tho provisions of the pnn-j cipal act relating to the statutory half-: holiday and of the number of hours that shop assistants may be employed in any one week shall apply to tho members ot ; an occupier’s family. j

le. When a person who carries on the business of a hairdresser lets any chair or part of his shop to any other persons, such laH-uicntioned persons shall for all the purposes of the principal act. be deemed ty bo slion assistants, and such firstmentioned person the employer. To accept all the other amendments made by tho Council. "When tho result was brought before the Legislative Council in the evening, tho Hon Mr Pitt said the conference had come to an agreement within half an hour of meeting. There was nothing said about the 52 hours under the agreement —that was provided by the principal act. He thought the agreement would be accepted as reasonable, and that the shop assistants would have benefit from the provisions of tho bill. The so-called tf back-down ” committee had given away very little, indeed. In his opinion it would have been a lamentable thing if the House had separated without remedy ng the conditions of things created by last year’s act. Under the now proposals the vast majority of shop assistants would get< the benefit of six o’clock clos-

The Hon Mr Jones: It would have been 7 p.m. if it had not been for us. Tho Hon Mr Pitt; 1 move that the report he agreed to. lion Air Rigs: I claim that everything I said' about tho hack-down committee has been justified. It is the expected that happens sometimes. He regretted that there were so many gentlemen in the Council who were mere reeds swayed by every wind that blew the Premier'e coat- I tails'. It was this sort of thing that justified the demand made from time to time by the public for the abolition of the Tipper Chamber. Everything that had been bad in tho bill as it left the Council had boon accepted by the Lower House and onlv that part of it in the interests of the shop assistants hod been refused. The Hon Air Jenkinson congratulated the managers—and tho Eon Mr Trask especially—upon the backbone they had displayed. The result of the conference was not so baj ns ho had expected, but it was all that Air Massey had asked for. Surely strong men like the Hon Messrs Trask, Harris and Macdonald had been strong enough to combat Mr Aiassey and Mr Jas. Allen ! The shop assistants would not be pleased when they recognised that the Government had gone hack to a certain extent upon Its professions regarding the good of the workers. Ho hoped that within a few years a hill would be passed to provide for early closing. Tho Hon Mr Bolt said the position arrived at showed that the general run of sympathy was against the workers, and if »they were to get any advantages it would only be after hard effort. If it had not been for the discussion last night there* would have been a most disgraceful retreat; as it is the retreat is no so bad. The Hon Mr Ormond regretted the arrogance of the speech of Mr Bolt. Th® managers had done good work. Some non gentlemen thought there no class in the colony but the shop assistants. The Hon Mr .Tones said there was no question that Messrs Massey and Jas. Allen dominated the deliberations of the conference. The Hon Mr Pitt had retreated instead of standing to his guns. He moved as an amendment that the report be referred to a committee. The Hon Mr Pitt said the gentlemen opposing the report of the conference had fought the bill all along, and were now claiming to protect it. The Hon Mr Macdonald said tho Hon Mr Rigg and his colleagues had been the bitterest opponents of the small shopkeepers and the assistants, and had been prepared to sacrifice the bill. The-pre-sent bill was a real good one, and one that would be appreciated by all concerned. It did awav with the irritation that had been created by the principal act. Messrs Massey and Jas, Allen bad shown themselves to be reasonable men and he was amazed at the nonsense talked bv Mr Rigg and those with him. He (Mr Macdonald) knew more about Liberalism than anv of those gentlemen in the Council who talked so much about it; ho had been born and bred in tbe Liberal camp. Tho conference had been able to get everything that the Council wanted, and everything that any sensible man in* the colony wanted. The bill as it now was, would reflect great credit upon ‘ie Legislative Council. The Hon Mr Kteg contended that the Hon Mr Macdonald's speech had been empty declamation in a loud raucous, voice. He had often heard Mr Macdonald say he was a Liberal, but before he believed it he wanted corroborative evidence. The Hon Mr Jenkinson quoted the evidence of the Labour Bills Committee to show that the vital principles of the bill had been inserted with the assistance of the extreme labour members, and had helped to frame the bill as it was at present. The Hon Mr Jones's amendment was lost bv 22 votes bo 4. and the report was agreed to on the voices. When the result of the conference was reported to the House, it was agreed upon tho motion of the Premier to consider the report of the conference to-day. The ’Premier intimated the Government's intention of introducing a new clause in the direction of not interfering with *a wife who helped her husband in a chop.