"IN DEFAULT FORTY-EIGHT HOURS."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 680, 3 December 1909, Page 3

"IN DEFAULT FORTY-EIGHT HOURS."

. SHOPKEEPEUS • PBRTUHBED, '■;'. r • A meeting of the/ Shopkeepers' Associafa'dn was .held in the Industrial Association rooms yesterday afternoon, Mr. H..H.'Seaton preeidmg. Iho chairman stated that since tho last meeting the Shops and Offices Bill Amendment had been before Parliament. Tho socrotary had gone into the,Bill,, but. thero was really, nothing in it that would affect keepers. Most. of the" provisions dealt" with hotels and restaurants. , ' "■•'•' ■.'■'■ . . ' ' Thesaci-etary. reported-thc points laid beforo' the Gity Council •by t ho "' 'deputation J which waited on the Mayor in reference to tho council; retailing metallic filament lamps • and hot point irons.- Nothing had been received yotiin ;the nature of a reply, I'hUt it .was .understood that the was to-be; debated- by • tho full council. In giving,a summary of tho positiou the chairman remarked that: the association did not' mind tho council supplying tho goods so ■ long as they-'puf oil a 'reasonable profit such as the shopkeeper'had" to'ilut 1 'on m view of Jiis rents,-rates, etc.- -- : • _Mr. Seatou remarked',on the.,;cases in the S.M, Court last week in which shopteopers had been penalised for keeping open a-, fow, minutes after tho statutory closing hour. Tho .'aim ""of the association was to : uphold' the lawj and not to^ defeat , iti'bnt ho.thonghf it-might be advisable to' make representations to' the Minister fov Labour, asking that tho Labour Department's, inspectors .should'notify valK'new shopkeepers, who' started business . of..' tho--fe-quiroments, of the Act. .-.Tho- magistrate who the cases'mentioned •:above,ha(l remarked that'shopkeepers' should Wo "conversant' with tho details of the Act, but.'he ■ (the speaker) did not think this'was'pos'sib'le.' ■.''■.'.'■.",. Another speaker said ho had understood for •years that he could keep opca until 9.30, p.m. tho day, before. a holidey',.''.but' tho Court • had ,showu: him that ■'■'<:■ •?• ' ••■«'■'-■.■.

.. Mr., Sea ton ■ took exception to. the Court, i addition to fixing a fine, of, say,. 10s., addini "in default »-18 hours' imprisonment." Ther was, he suggested, no absolnto need to do this although'it *as" in accordance with the Act Phfire was' always 'the civil' remedy ■ of ' dis training. , •'■■..■■ '.•:■••■ .'■.:.:■; ■■~■■•.'" ■■■'-.■','.■:.■■ A member:.,ltV,a case of, adding insult, tc injury, (taughter.) He failed to see why imprisonment should be mentioned at'all; ■ , >: Mr.Seaton: "I think it is the duty of-shop-keepers to.help kebp.;the..jaw,i;)ju.fl;£aso think it should be part of the inspector's duty to notify shopkeepers of:.th<Krequirements; of- the Act' '::..:'.:,:... ~..,.' , ........,-:.;,..;.:;....„.

' Another member.-, thought that when ~a) shopkeeper, broke the.'law tho inspectors should inform at. once, ..and. not-leave it untilnext day/ On one occasion 7 the, inspectors had mado a mistake of an hour with him, and had admit 'ted,it when, they.canio into thoehop. If they, had'not' coiiio' untilnext-day..they. would never have .believed .that they, could mnko .a imistako of an hour. Further,-his' word would bo no good in a court against that; of tho two-in-spectors, even. in such a. case. ~. ::-. - •The. secretary out -..that an <' amendment of the Act would be needcd : to getover tho "imprisonment iby default" clause." This would, be very difficult .to.arrange, as the clause was. in all the. awards he had -seen.. \ ; ■'. The matter, was allowed to •■ drop. .'•' .-~ V