WHAT IS A GROCER?

Otago Witness, Issue 3765, 11 May 1926, Page 76

WHAT IS A GROCER?

QUESTION BEFORE COURT. According to Mr J. B. Callan, a grocer is one who sells grosses. This explanation of the term, he pointed out, was given by various dictionaries, all of which appeared to be singularly unillurninating on the subject, anil an attempt to ex; lam what a grocer really was w«s akin to defining the unknown by the still more unknown. In extenuation of the fact that he had paid four of his assistants less than the minimum wage provided by the grocers' u ard, R. Stavely, of George street, pleaded at the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, that he was not a grocer, although he admitted he sold what are commonly known as groceries. Peter Carl Weenink (Inspector of Awards) proceeded against Stavely, for whom Mr J. B. Callan appeared, on four charges of having paid less than the minimum wage laid down by the award, and despite the fact that the defendant held that his assistants weie classed as clerks and paid accordingly, the charges were sustained. The Inspector stated that four girls were employed in the shop, although their duties were mainly to attend to the cash register and to do other clerical \ rk, they had also to perform the duties usually associated with the work of assistants—namely, the measuring out of goods and parcelling them up. For the defence. Mr Callan submitted that the defendant’s shop was not a grocer’s shop in the strict sense of the word. In it customers were not waited on by defthanded assistants—they literally helped themselves. The goods were arranged on tables around poles on which the price of each article was clearU stated, but in a case where the price was not mentioned one of the young women was detailed to assist the customer. Patrons took their goods away in wrapped, paid for them at a turnstile, the approach to which was likened by Mr Callao to a sheep race, and. having performed this most necessary ;>art of the transact! , they were free to wrap up their purchases, for which purpose a free supply of paper and string was provided. The Defendant said that ho was under the impression that his assistants could be considered a 9 clerks, and he had engaged them on that understanding. He had not read the grocers’ award until the inspector had visited him. but he was conversant with the award which applied to 6hop assistants. An inquiry by Mr Weenink whether the defendant was not aware that even under this award he was paying less than the minimum wage prescribed, was answered by a statement that the girls were engaged merely as clerks. He himself did not know anything about grocery, but was an organiser. In Australia, whe. he had been for some years, the class of business in which he was engaged did not come under the heading of grocery. He i-tocked articles which most grocers did not stock, and, on tho other hand, thoro were many commodities to be found in grocers’ stocks which he did not sell. The Magistrate said he had no doubt a-i to what constituted a grocer, but, taking into consideration tho fact that the defendant had not been long in this country, ho imposed a nominal fine of 10s on each charge.