WHAT HOUR TO CLOSE?
RIVAL GROCERS' DEPUTATIONS. Tho early closing question, which is troubling Wellington grocers and has been but'oro tho City Council soveral limes, was brought under tho notice of the council again last evening. Mr. J. Cameron introduced a deputation of grocers, and put a case for the petitiomers for early closing. Ho stated' that when tho matter had been before tho council his eido had a majority of tho European groceries as signatories, but not a majority with tho Chinese. There wore 111 European sellers of groceries in the city, and thcro wero 87 who had' signed his petition. Therefore, tlioro could only bo 51 Europeans on the coun-ter-petition, and five naturalised Chinese, this being a total of 59. Ha had no doubt that tho grocers of tho citv wcro in favour of early closing, and it was only a matter of time when early closing would bo in force throughout tho Dominion.
The Mayor remarked that tho countorpetitio'n contained tho signatures of 81 Europeans and five naturalised Chinese, and that ouo tradesman had signed both tho petition and tho counter-petition. A deputation with a counter-petition was then hoard. Mr. J. R. Burley, who acted as'spokesman, stated that tho 81 signatories were all boua-fido sellers of groceries and they had not gone to any of tho other side. They had und to fight against certain tactics all along tho line. They found that people had been cajoled into' signing tho original petition, but when tho grocers heard tho true position they had been only too willing to withdraw. One man had been (old that ho was the only European grocer in tho city who had not signed, and was asked if ho would stand out in such circumstances. Ho had replied that, if such were tho case, ho would not Without tho Cliincso his side had a clear majority. The Mayor stated that tho council would not give i'ts answer that night, but would oonsidor tho representations of both, sides, mako a close scrutiny of tho signatures, and then do what was fair.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19111006.2.22
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Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1248, 6 October 1911, Page 4
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346WHAT HOUR TO CLOSE? Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1248, 6 October 1911, Page 4
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