GROCERS' CLOSING HOURS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1211, 21 August 1911, Page 6

GROCERS' CLOSING HOURS.

4 TROUBLE ABOUT A REQUISITION. A CITY COUNCIL MATTER. The following letter has boon received by Mr. I'. M. B. Fisher, M.P., from the Minister for Labour (the Hon. J. A. Millar):— Sir, —In reference to the recent deputation of Wellington grocers which waited upon me on the 12th ultimo concerning a requisition under the Shops and Offices Act to fix closing hours of shops selling groceries: As promised on that occasion I have obtained the advice of the Crown Law Office, which is as follows:— "First, in regard to unnaturalized Chinese: I am advised that while they have no vote in the getting up of a requisition they are nevertheless compelled to observe it when it conies into force. "Second, that tho requisition, as got up, is in legal form, and will, when brought into operation, apply to all shops in the city wherein groceries are sold, whether groceries comprise tho principal business .of tho shopkeepers or not, or whether the shopkeepers are Europeans or otherwise.' In this respect tho requisition is different from the usual form of requisition, which applies only to those shops carrying on the trade mentioned as their principal business. It will be noted Hint the grocers' recfuisition reads: 'We, the undersigned, being a majority of . the occupiers of all the shops in the city of Wellington wherein is carried on the trade of a seller of groceries' while the usual form is as follows:—'We, the undersigned, being a majority of the occupiers of all tho grocers' shops in the city of Wellington.' "With reference to the question put before mo as to the effect of the proposed requisition on the small shopkeepers who mostly carry on their business in the suburbs: the position is. as I informed tho. deputation, that if. a majority of the whole of the shopkeepers affected in the city (excluding unnaturaliscd foreigners) signed' the requisition and the City Council certifies that there is a majority, I have no option but to gazette it. "I may say that tho requisition has been forwarded to the Labour Department by th 9 City Council stating that it has been signed., by a majority of European sellers but not a majority of the ivhole of the sellers, including Chinese, and the council has been informed that ?the requisition cannot be gazetted until the council certifies, without qualification, that tkere is a majority of all the sellers of groceries entitled to vote. "I understand that a number of tho shopkeepers that signed the requisition wished to withdraw from same, as they state they signed under a misapprehension. This is a matter that must be arranged with the City Council. I should say, however, that any such shopkeeper who satisfies tho council to that effect would bo entitled to withdraw his signature."