SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

Thames Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 18383, 3 July 1917, Page 3

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS. AN UNCERTAIN REPLY., WELLINGTON', July 3 A deputation representing- ihe ; Dominion National Convention of the New Zealand Alliance waited on Mr Massey, Sir Joseph Ward, eiid Sir James Allen to ui'ge ttie Covernment to introduce six o'clock closing 1 legislation 5 during; the current session. The Rev. Mr. Gray (Dunedin) said last year the alliance presenv>ed a. petition signed by one hundred thousand people, to the 'Premieir, but th© Government took no s t,tisfactory action in the matter., Ir. Massey, in reply, said the Government was not sheltering the trade, <as must be evident, i'vom what had been done in. the last three years. As to proposed legislation he might assure them ,tlie j Governmient was not goin,gi to shirk j the question. The matter had not been before the Cabinet. They had' had far more important things to deal with. In regard to a matter like that it was an impormnt question, and a policy question, and ■no Minister had any right to commit the Government to any course of action until it had been before the Cabinet. He was not therefore able to make a more definite stater merit, but certainly within trie present) [session: Parliament would have an opportunity of dealing 1 with the question. He could not say anything* further. It would be conpetent for any member-to move any ■amendment he cared to move, mid it would be for the House to say whether the amendment should be agreed to. —'Press Association.