THE SHOP ASSISTANTS ACT.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11492, 27 January 1903, Page 5

THE SHOP ASSISTANTS ACT.

CHARGE AGAINST A CHEMIST.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND, January 26. At the Police Court, Graves Aicken, chemist, was charged with a breach of the buop Assistants Act, in that he employed an assistant later than half an hour alter the pi escribed time of closing. Mr J. A. Tole, for the Inspector of Factoriee, said the case was a te&t case. On Wednesday afternoon, January 7th, the day appointed for the closing of shops, the inspector found the shop closed for the ordinary purposes id trade. The assistant in question was in the shop to serve customers who might require medicine. The assistant was allowed a half-holiday on another day in the same week. Mr To!e contended that un assistant should have a holiday on the day appointed for the shop to be closed.

jii , Campbell, for the defence, contended that by virtue of .section 8 of the Act ot 1901. chemists were exempted on th:s point. A shop under this section might bs open ou a holiday afternoon for some indefinite period, for specified purposes. Should the urgency for medicine be sufficiently great, the whole of the (staff could be employed in a chemist's shop daring the afternoon of a holiday. A chemist's assistant could get a holiday on another day, chemists' shops being excepted under the Act. Mr Tole said the Act intended a cliemist to open on the occasion of an actual demand for urgent medicine, not to keep an assistant there to serve medicine aJI the afternoon. His Worship reserved his decision.