SHOPS AND OFFICES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 23, 22 October 1920, Page 8

SHOPS AND OFFICES

AN AMENDING BILL

FORTY-EIGHT HOUR WEEK FOR

ASSISTANTS

The Shops and Offices Amendment Bill, introduced in the House of Representa tives, provides a forty-eight hours' week for shop assistants. The present • limit is 52 hours. The Minister of Labour (Sir William He'rriea), answering a question on the introduction of tke Bill stated that tho Arbitration Court would be able to fix a shorter working weok if it thought desirable. The forty-eight hours named in tho Bill tras a maximum

A new clause dealing with the powers of the Arbitration Court in respect to shops makes it clear that tho Court may fix the hours of closing on any working day other than the weekly half-holi-day of all shops in thu trade or trades to which the award applies. The occu pier of any shop may be exempted if the Court! believes that undue hardship would be caused him by the closing, Tho Court' may also fix maximum /hours of employment, holidays and _ minimum wages for shop assistants, subject to the maximum hours and rates mentioned in tho principal Act. . I The Bill /provides that 6hops in cer tain boroughs shall be closed at 6 p.m. on four working days of the week other than the dav of the half-holiday and at 9 p.m. on one day. The late day shall be Friday in the case of shops that observe the half-holiday on Saturday, and shall be Saturday in all other cases. The boroughs covered by this rule are Auck • loud, Chri6tchurch, Dunedin, Gisborne, Greymouth, Hamilton, Invercargill, Masterton, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Oamaru, Palmerston North, Timaru. Wanganui, and Wellington.

ROTORUA TOWN LANDS BILL

REPORT OP COMMITTEE ADOPTED. The interrupted debate upon the Rotorua Town Lands Bill was upon the Order Paper of the House last night. The committee to which tho Bill had been referred had recommended ' that it bo allowed to proceed. As, the measure proposes to give 6ome residents of' Rotorua the right to acquire the freehold of tho land they hold under lease, the report, oi the committee had met at first with strong opposition from advocates of the leasehold tenure. Last night, however, the motion- to adopt the committee s report waa carried on the voices without discussion. Probably tho explanation ot this turn of events may be found m the fact that the Land Bill, standing first among the orders of tho day. offered plenty of matter for the .leaseholders to discuss.

THE PROBATION LAW

QUESTION'OP WOMEN'S COURTS,

The Minister of Justice .(Hon. B. P Lee) moved yesterday that the House of Representatives should a wee to amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Offenders' Probation Bill. He *aid tliat the most important ninendraent fxtended the power of the Court to prohibit the publication of the names ot fir<t offenders. The prohibition was to cuver arrest as well as trial and con"mtT't. M. Wilford (Hutt) suggested that increased assistance should be given to probation officers, who often did. their work under difficulties. He regretted that the Government had 1 made no move for the establishment of women s courts. \ suggestion was made that the of juvenile offenders convicted of minoi offences should be expunged from the R< Tii(i Minister said that he had not lost Right of the. suggested womenis courts. Ha would consider, the matter during amendments of the Council were accepted.

THE POTATO EMBARGO

NOT LIFTED YET

Mr. Craigie (Timaru) asked in the House yesterday if the Government hod received any information f rom /Ustial a regarding the potato marie- lho expeit wnt by the Australian Gov . e 7? mo^ n investigate the position in thin country had returned, and tile growers here were very anxious to know if the export ot potatoes to the Commonwealth was goin, Vhe°Minister I 'of "Agriculture (Mr. Nnswnrthy) stated that, the Government had cabled to Australia asking for wtornu-ti,m-<.n the point, and had not yet rea reply. The Government had lore cvery"mng wiihh, Us power to mare the removal of tb e embargo imposed by the Australian authorities on »<p-.v Zealand potatoes

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

A FAILURE TN AUSTRALIA. The attention of the Prime Minister was drawn yesterday afternoon to a cablegram stating that the Premier of New South Wales had annQiincccl that legislation would.be introduced there to revert to the, old system of eleeion £ 1 nnd the introduction of election by p1 oportional representation being, dlsc "^?, next session, the Govenpent would have investigations inado into the posi tion in New South Wales, with a view to supplying members of the House with tlie information. , I • Mr. Massey said that he had 6een tiuite a number of references to the intentions of the Government of Ne« South Waies at the next, election Ho had seen it stated repeatedly that) they intended to go back to the singlo electorate system. The reason was that pronortioual representation had proved a fiasco. The Labour Party in New South Wales had pone back on the system oi proportional representation that jvas in operation at the last election, and ndyocnted the holding of the next election on the same system which obtained m New Zealand at tho last election.