CLOSING SHOPS AND OFFICES.

Waikato Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 3496, 20 November 1894, Page 7

CLOSING SHOPS AND OFFICES.

The Shop and Shop Assistants Bill compels all offices except newspaper, tramway, and shipping offices to close. For four weeks in every half year, for purposes cf balancing, the cierKs may work from 7 to 10 p.m., but with that exception all offices shall be closed not later than 5 o'clock on each week day except Saturday, when the closing hour is 1, " pro yided that cashiers, ledgerkeepers, and cash-book keepers in any office shall, before leaving their offices, balance the books in their charge of the day's transactions," Banks are specially mentioned as included in the term "office," The term shops is interpreted by a clause to mean " where any person works to hire," only those shops are exempted which are kept by a man or his wife or a widow, being English or Europeans, who have children under 18 years of age. The exception to the Sill are shops " wherein is carried on exclusively the business of a fruiterer, a confectioner, a coffee housekeeper, or the ketper of a bookstall on a railway platform." It is to be noted that hairdressers' shops are not exempted. If any shopkeeper or other employer keeps an employer later than half an hour after the prescribed time of closing he will be liable to a penalty not exceeding £5 for each offence in respect to each person employed. When there is a public holiday or half-holiday in any week shopkeepers closing on that day need not close on the regular half-holiday. The penalty for not closing is £6 but there is an exception in favour of a shopkeeper at a port that employs any person or keeps open his shop ;' merely for the purpose or supplying goods to any ship, steamer, or boat arriving at such port," Assistants in shops, outside the limits of cities, boroughs, and town districts, and all assistants employed in hotel bars within or without such limits, are to have a half-holiday on some working day in each' week as also every shop assistant employed in the exempted shops. The day for closing shops is to be appointed by the local authority in every city, borough, and town district by special resolution in the month of January next, and is to continue to be the day of closing untH some other day has been in likewise appointed. In the event of any day other than Saturday being fixed, any shopkeeper will be entitled to close his shop on Saturday in lieu thereof on giving' notice to the inspectors of factories, during the month of January in each year, of his desire to do so. If Saturday is the day fixed, any other day may be appointed on which butchers', hairdressers', photographers' shops are to be closed in lieu of Saturday. That the persons employed in any shop or workroom may, , with the consent of the inspector, be employed for a period not exceeding three hours in any one day beyond the ordinary working hours, or not more than forty days in any one year, for the purpose of stock-taking. The law as regards women and youths under eighteen is re-enacted. No such person shall be employed more than fifty-eight hours, including mealtimes, in any week, nor more than ten and a half hours in one day. Seating accommodation must, be provided for females, and all shops shall be kept in a clean and sanitary state, the necessary powers to enforce these and the other provisions of the Act being conferred on the inspejtors of factories.