DIVIDED OPINION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 94, 21 April 1944, Page 4

DIVIDED OPINION

WANGANUI RETAILERS ON FIVE-DAY SHOP WEEK HEWS OF NEW PROPOSAL. Among Wanganui retailers opinion is evenly divided on the proposed fiveday shopping week for retail establishments. A representative from Wanganui attended a conference ol the Retailers’ Federation,Jheld in Wellington last week, when th e question was fully debated. The conference decided, by a narrow margin, to ask for the inclusion of a five-day week in the next Shop Assistants’ Award, which comes up for review in the northern districts in June and July, and in the southern districts in September and October. It is understood that there will be some opposition to the new proposals from certain sections of trades and unions. Some retailers hold the opinion that all members of the family could adequately do their shopping on five days, with a late night included. On the Saturday people would b e able to have more leisure tQ work in gardens and attend sports fixtures. That school of thought, envisages a whole holiday for shops on Saturdays. When a five-day shopping week comes into being, as it is bound to come, people who oppose it to-day will realise that they were fighting a blessing,” said the owner of a Wanganui retail store, yesterday. “Not only will it be of value in a health way, but, because of the shorter hours we will get a better class of assistant and. thereby, the public will get. better service. W*e must be on a 40-hour week to compete with other avenues of employment.” Others hold the view that Saturday morning is one of the best shopping days of the whole week, and that closing on a Saturday morning would be detrimental to trade, as a whole. In Auckland it is anticipated that a five-day shopping day, x with retail establishments open on Friday nights and closed on Saturday mornings, will be introduced early in July. Late shopping nights have not been held in Auckland since March, 1942, when they wore discontinued in the interests of public safety. In Dunedin the Otago Retailers’ Association is not in favour of the adoption of the proposal for a five-day week. It is felt by the association there, that the time was not opportune for such a move, which must have an effect on other trades, since it did not appear to b e in keeping with the general war effort.