SHOPS AND OFFICES ACT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25718, 14 December 1944, Page 4

SHOPS AND OFFICES ACT

AMENDING BILL NEXT SESSION QUESTION OF CLOSING HOURS (F.0.P.R.) ' WELLINGTON. Dec. 13. A statement that it had bsen his intention to bring down a Shops and Offices Amendment Bill this session, but that this had not been possible owing to the pressure of other legislative business, was made by the Minister of Labour, Mr P. C. Webb, replying to an urgent question by Mr F. Hackett (Govt., Grey Lynn) in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr Hackett had asked the Minister if he would give an indication whether he proposed to bring down legislation to deal with the closing of shops and to give shop assistants the benefit of the five-day working week. The Minister recalled that in 1941 he had brought down a measure to restore the powers of the Arbitration Court to fix closing hours which were taken away from the court in 1927. Because of the war situation at that time and objections from certain quarters, particularly small country districts, he had decided not to proceed with the Bill. He proposed, however, to have the Bill .redrafted and circulated to the organisations concerned before bringing it down next session.