SHOPS AND OFFICES AMENDMENT ACT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15098, 22 March 1911, Page 10

SHOPS AND OFFICES AMENDMENT ACT.

MASTER BUTCHERS' PROTEST.

At a recent' 'meeting of the Master jP/Utchers of Dunedin a resolution was passed protesting against tho legislation contained in. the amendment of " The Shops and Oliices Act, 1908," whereby the awards of the- Arbitration Court were ovar-rkldcn in respect of the hours of work in tho butchering trade, which were reduced from 56 to 52 per week. A copy of tho resolution was fonva-rded to the Hon. J. A. Millar. Minister of. Labour, and tho followin; reply has now 'been received by Mr Thomas Smith, who was chairman of the meeting , at which the ■ resolution was passed:—" I have ■ the honour to acknowledge receipt of .your memorandum of tho Ist inst., containing resolution carried at a meeting of; the Master Butchers of Dunedin, in respect to section .13 of ' The Shops and Offices Amendment Act, 1910,' The provision which you bate exception, to was made so as to put all shopkeepers on a fail , and equal basis. You must know that there are a very largo number of shopkeepers in the Dominion having no pariiicre and employing a great many hands who were compelled to close tiheir establishments at.6 p.m. in terms of section 3 of tho principal act, except one night in the week, when they could em-ploy their assistants until 9 p.m., whereas the shops which were run by two or more partners wore able to keep open and sell for hours after fiho others had been compelled to close bocauso they could not keep their assistants. This. I think, you will admit was most unfair to tho shopkeepers who had in many instances greater responsibilities, but could not keep opon for the reasons given, j quite approve of the department's interpretation of thia-eection (which was the intention of jfarliament), that so long as partners outside of tho one who is registered under tho aois do not serve customers after tho hours ■ named, nothing will be done to interfere with their being on the promises and doing other work. Therefore, looking at the maittor from a reasonable standpoint, I do not. see any reason for complaint.— Yours faithfully, J. A. Millab." Mr Thomas Smith, speaking to a Daily Times reporter yesterday in relation to tho above, sakl he was afraid tho Hon. Mr Millar's reply could only be regarded as somewhat disingenuous. Tho reply, as a whole, dealt with that particular part of the amended act which referred to partnerships, but in the resolution passed at tho mooting no particular reference was mado to this matter. If Mr Millar again read the resolution ho would find that what was particularly reforrod to was the seriousness of the Government passing legislation overriding awards made by tho Arbitration Court, which meant, in the butchering trade, tho reducing of the working hours by four por week, and thereby tho raising of tho minimum wage from ono shilling per hour to nearly Is Id, or, to bo exact, to Is 12-13 d por hour, besides putting tho trade to a great amount of inconvenience. This Mt Millar either failed to or would not understand. It would be highly interesting, said Mr Smith, to know what would have been the result if Mr Millar had succeeded in passing legislation increasing tho working hours of employees by four per wcok instead of reducing thorn. It is highly probable that a meeting of Master Butchers will be called at> an early date to consider the reply received.