THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES SATURDAY, October 5, 1940. SHOPPING HOURS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24421, 5 October 1940, Page 10

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES SATURDAY, October 5, 1940. SHOPPING HOURS

If there was ground for suspicion in the fact that the Minister of Labour endeavoured a few weeks ago, by a clause in an omnibus Bill, to secure an amendment of the Shops and Offices Act, the adoption of which might have necessitated a drastic change in the shopping practices of the community, there is ground for concern in the introduction in Parliament this week of a measure that consists of this identical clause. On this occasion Mr Webb at least seeks to achieve his end in a straightforward manner. To that extent the present proposal is to be preferred to that which came before the House of Representatives prior to its recent adjournment. The country will not be readily convinced, however, of the need for this legislation. There has been no discernible demand for it. It is provided in the Bill that the Court of Arbitration is, subject to appeal to a magistrate—which would be an appeal from a nominally superior authority to an inferior authority—to be empowered to fix the opening and closing hours of all shops. It may well be asked why there should be any change from the existing procedure for the regulation of the hours during which shops may be open. The present arrangement is working smoothly and satisfactorily. But for a very valid reason—that of the convenience of the public—it does not provide for the closing of shops on Saturdays. There, it may be surmised, is the rub. It would seem likely that, having been unable so far to limit the week observed by shopkeepers to one of five days the Government is having recourse to a fresh device by which it may achieve its end. The hours during which shops may be opened, as well as those within which shop assistants may be employed, are at present regulated by the statute law of the country. Under its provisions, the convenience of the public must be taken into consideration in the fixing of the hours. Parliament is now being invited by the Government to surrender to the Arbitration Court the powers of legislation that are in this respect exercised by it. Apparently it is designed to make the Court the instrument by which the application of the principle of the 40-hour fiveday week may be extended. If this be what the Government has in mind, it is acting as though it were very sure of the Arbitration Court giving effect to its wishes —the more so because its present proposal significantly omits any reference to the convenience of the public. The functions of the Court are clearly to be enlarged in an important degree if it is to be the authority that is to decide whether there shall or ,#hall not be a universal Saturday holiday for shops. From a decision to this effect it would be a short step to the abolition of late shopping nights. The Government is, to all appearances, endeavouring by a devious course to accomplish a purpose that, -if it is to be accomplished at all,.should be effected by direct legislation. What it is doing should be watched very closely by shopkeepers and by the public.