EXTENSION OF HOURS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 224, 2 September 1936, Page 7

EXTENSION OF HOURS.

. TAILORS IN COURT. Employees’ In Attendance When Shop Is Closed. • , IT i/iid # Press Association—C JD y r i 2 fit. Auckland, September 1. An application made trader the Factories Act on behalf master tailors in the Dominion for on extension of hours to enable male Employees in the bespoke tailoring trad e vvork 44 hours a week was considered by the Arbitration Court. Mr. T. O. Bishop appeared for the employers 'and Mr. J. Roberts, Christchurch, representing the South Island bespoke tailor's’ unions, and Messrs. E. B. Newton, and W, S. Moxsora, representing North Island unions, appeared for the employees.

Mr. Bishop said the grounds on which the application was made were that the bespoke tailors’ business was absolutely and completely a retail business. Customers of master tailors required an intimate and personal service which had to be given in tailors’ shops and given by an expert. In some cases the proprietor was the expert and did his own cutting and fitting, but in many cases he was not, and it was essential that a cutter and fitter should be in attendance at all times when the shop was open. “Many large departmental stores rim shop tailoring businesses and are permitted to keep their shop assistants employed for 44 hours a week,” said Mr. Bishop, “this would lead to very unfair competition if master tailors were not permitted to employ their assistants in similar shops.” Mr. Bishop added that the tailoring trade was peculiarly a week-end business. Fully 50 per cent, of deliveries were made on Friday night or Saturday morning. It was necessary to have members of the staff present when deliveries were made because of lastminute alterations.

Evidence in support of Mr. Bishop’s contentions was given by several representatives of the tailoring trade at Auckland.

Mr. Roberts submitted that it had not been shown that it was impracticable to work 40 hours a week in the tailoring industry. Evidence had been given by two witnesses tha. as far as their female workers were concerned they had already entered into an agreement for a 40 hour five-day week. The position of the Otago master tailors was that an agreement had been voluntarily entered into to work a 40 hour week with Saturday mornings off for at least nine months in the year.

“There Is not the servicing required or needed in the bespoke trade that there is in regard to some branches of the industry which sell ready-made garments,” said Mr. Roberts.,. “The plea that it is necessary to have some of the staff on hand on Saturday morning is exaggerated, for the employer is a practical man and capable of making alterations himself.” Mr. Roberts instanced the Otago case as proof that the 40-hour week was •asy to work and said lhat What was worked there could be worked at Auckland or any part of New Zealand.