EARLY CLOSING FOR GROCERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1188, 25 July 1911, Page 9

EARLY CLOSING FOR GROCERS.

Sir-Might I claim a further encroachment.on your valuable space in order to reply to Mr. Cameron's letter on the above subject in your issue of to-dnv' I put a number of questions in my' previous letter to Mr. Cameron, to which, lie has attempted to reply, but his attempts are totally unconvincing, unci place him m a more unenviable portion than ever. I asked him whether his intrusion on our trade in, his misdirected efforts to improve matters connected therewith by Molting to impose certain restrictions winch I, in common with a large number of others, disagree with, was done for the-pure lovo of tho "tiling, or whether it was done in order to reap some personal gain, lie replies in typical fashion by an evasive, query, "whether .1 sell groceries out. of pure love of being a grocer," a practical admission, 1 "take" it, that he is out after "the loaves and fishes." Might I inform Mr. Cameron that there is no analogy whatever between our respective occupations. 1 am free to admit that f am in business ia order to get my living nut of it, as is every other business man with whom I have come into contact, and others kuow that, Tho difference, as far as Mr. Cameron's position in talcing around tho grocers' requisition was c.incerncd, lies in this: That when endeavouring to get signatures to it. ho posed as the 'disinterested friend of the grocer, and the inveterate foo of the Chinaman, but the fact remains IhaMie afterwards sent round a circular soliciting, and in same cases afterwards collecting, subscriptions to help him carry on this noble (sic) work. I make bold to assert, sir, that had ho taken around his requisition and circular at the same time, he would have had much greater dillieulty in obtaining signatures, as those, to whom he' applied would then have clearly understood his position. However, "Experimentia ilocct." AVlion he interests himself in another public matter wo may know what to expect. I give Siim the credit of having come out into Ihe open anil disclosing his (rue position. What I have la complain of is not so much his obtaining subscriptions to help him in what he probably considers a laudable object, as in the fact of 100 much interference by outside agitators with matters which do not personally roncern them, only in so far as what they can make out of it.

It is an incontrovertible fact Out people in general, and business people in particular, are siilfcring too much already l'riim restrictions which in many case's wore engineered by men of that dcsci'jp-

(inn. .Mr. Cameron ns.crls that the position I haves taken up is rrallv helping the Chinese to cantur.; the gioce-y trade of I hi- city. May 1 be permitted to inIlinn that gentleman, that the same conditions as at present exi-l have been in operai:'"!! lor a vcrvjon-; lime, and vet Hie Climes., hold on the trade i- iufi'nitesimal. If he considers that there are now 100 European grocers' shops in the district, his rniuisition Ims to do with even he, perhaps, will be seined of Ihe tii-.-l that, their h:>U! is a very slight one. What the grocery trade has "lo fear most is not so much Ihe competition of Ihe Chinaman as the present undercutting tactics of the unscrupulous members of the trade, combined with the dillieuliv of recovering bad debts in the .Magistrate's Court a- the law at present operates. If j|,._ Cameron would onlv exert h:s surplus energy in the direction'of having these evils rectified lie would t;e conferring a much more tangible benefit on grocers than by seeking to impose unfair restrictions with regard to early closing. Mr. Cameron states that 1 am" probabiv not aware that the amended Shops anil (Uncos Act over-rides the Grocers Award in the matter of 10 o'clock Saturday and long-night closing. May 1 sav in ' reply feat 1 am quite aware of that'fact. Hail • sot. been the Labour Department would wobably have reminded me that 1 was transgressing the law by employing assistants aitsr hours. May I also state, for his information, that even if his early closing requisition is brought into operation the same Act will also over-ride that, and shop; will -till have to observe !!_ o'clock cessation of work for employees. So much, then, for his assertion of 'concessions by bigger to smaller grocers. Mr. Cameron seeks, further, to deny what is nevertheless n fact, via., (hat he obtained a large number of signatures to bis petition by repteswiting that it would mean the practical exclusion of the Chinese from tl'.e business. (He leaves severely alone the matter of also closing up a number of small shops.) He has relied too much on assertion in (he past, and tno little on facts with which to back them up. Now, f maintain, sir that the best proof of an assertion is bv the production of facts to prove it. My fact, in proof of my a-.-erlicn, is this: A large percentage of'l hose who signed his requisition have now signed another asking that their names be withdrawn from it, and placed on the counter petition against early closing, as they signed it under the misapprehension stated! This, sir, is now in the hands of the town clerk, having boon handed in to him a day or two ago, and can be verified by anyone who is interested enough to inquire. He wishes, further, to denv (he fact that the Hon. the Minister for Labour stated to Ihe deputation which waited upon him last week that the Chinese shops would still ba open, should the requisition come into force, whether they stocked groceries or not, and that the position of the Chinese would be tor the Crown Law Ulh'cers to decide. What (he Minister did say ho would refer to (lie above Department for decision was with regard to the counting of Chinese, signatures to tile counter petition. Mr. Millar was Hath clear and definite on the point as to the eligibility of Chinese to sell groceries, even although early closing was in force. ,1 was there, and heard what transpired. Mr. Cameron was not, and therefore could only have got his information second-hand. A reference, 'however, to The Dominion':; report of the proceedings in your issue of the 13th instant will boar me out in this matter.

In conclusion, Sir. Cameron rays be is afraid there is not the slightest chance of grocers withdrawing the main petition, as it. contains an overwhelming majority of the signatures of European fellers of groceries. Perhaps (he problem is already solved in another way. Shall I fell him how? liy the simple fact that his "overwhelming majority" has now been transferred to the other side, through the withdrawal of names from his requisition, and their addition to the counter petition, thus solving this knotty i| nest ion not; only for him hut also, incidentally, for th.3 officers of the frown Law Department. In addition to that, there are at least ten naturalised Chinese amongst those of that nationality who signed the counter petition, and 'who have not so far teen taken into consideration. With apologies for trespassing so much on tow space,—l am, etc., j; E. BUtiLEY. . July 20, 1311.