The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1888. THE SHOP HOURS BILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1733, 6 January 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1888. THE SHOP HOURS BILL.

Among the Private Members' Bills of last session, all of which were sacrificed to the exigencies of the situation, was Mr Joyce's Shop Hours Bill. This is modelled on the lines of the Act which is m operation m the colony of Victoria, and provides that retail shops, with certain exceptions, shall be closed during the hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., except on Saturday, or on the day next preceding a public holiday, when thty may be kept open till 10 p.m. The exceptions are, houses licensed for ihe sale of intoxicating liquors, refreshment bouses where nothing but eatables or drinkables are sold, and nswspaper offices, but it is provided that the penalties of the Act shall not apply to chemists or druggists selling or supplying medicines, drugs or medicinal appliances after the hour appointed by the Act for the closing of shops ; nor to the occupier of any shop or premises supplying any atticle to any person lodging m such premises, or for provisioning any majl steamer, or supplying anything m case of sickness j nor is the Act to render unlawful the con({nuance m a shop after the hour appointed for the closing thereof of any customers who were jn. the shop immediately before that hour, or the serving of such customers not later than one hour after the time of closing. No employer may permit an employe to remain m any retail shop or premises later than one hour after the prescribed time of closing except for the purpose of stock-taking, and any peison offending against this or any provision of the Act is liable to a

penalty of not less than £■$ nor more than £$ for a first oftence, and of not left? than £$ nor more than gio for

any subsequent offence. Employers I are protected from the wilful default of i their employees by the following clause — "Where the occupier of a shop is charged with an offence against this Act, he shall be entitled, upon written application duly made by him, to have any agent or servant whom he charges as the actual offender, brought before the Court at the time appointed for bearing the charge, and if after the commission of the offence is proved, the Court is satisfied that the said agent or servant committed the offence m question, without the knowledge, consent or connivance, or wilful neglect, or default of the said occupier, the said occupier shall be exempt from any fine, and the said agent or servant shall be liable to the same fine as if he were the occupier, and may be proceeded against accordingly." That such a measure as this would be a boon to shopkeepers as well as to their employees is evidently recognised, as a large number of petitions m favor ot its passing, signed by shopkeepers, were presented while the Bill was before the House, and we have no doubt that had the terms of the Bill been more generally known the number of petitions would have been much larger still. It is useless to attempt to argue that shopkeepers, can adopt the early-closing principle voluntarily, and that m many towns m the colony they do so adopt it, as the answer of experience is that such early closing often breaks down because a selfish minority of two or three tradesmen, by gradually beginning to keep open to later hours, m the end compel the majority who desire to do otherwise to follow their example. A compulsory Early Closing Act is, therefore, the only, remedy, and we are sure that it will be heartily welcomed by nine masters out of ten, and by all employe's without a single exception. We trust, therefore, that Mr Joyce will persevere with his Bill and that next session the tradesmen of Asbburton will join their brethren m othei parts of the colony by sending up a petition m its support.