RETAIL SHOPS’ HOURS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 174, 24 July 1936, Page 8

RETAIL SHOPS’ HOURS

CHRISTCHURCH PROTEST | Per Press Association! CHRISTCHURCH, July 22. Christchurch retailers at a widely attended general meeting to-day condemned the imposition of the compulsory increases in wages and shorter hours as oppressive. The meeting, which comprised practically all employing parties to the shop assistants' award, passed a resolution expressing this criticism and suggesting that the effect of the new’ industrial conditions should be observed for a period before the compulsory shortening of shopping hours is imposed. In tentative schemes of hours to comply with the legislation the employers have been working on the basis of the 44-hour week laid down in the Shops and Offices Act. Most of the shops now work 46 hours, and to make the necessary reduction the pliminatior of either the lace night Friday, or Saturday morning hours, may be necessary, but so far it has not been found possible to decide which of the two could best be spared. Some of the employers favour a change in the morning hours, together with a possible shortening of the Friday late night. An entirely different and. from the employers’ point of view’, more difficult situation will be created if the employees succeed in their application to the Arbitration Court to have f he 40-hour week applied to retail