RETAIL SHOPPING HOURS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 191, 11 May 1944, Page 6

RETAIL SHOPPING HOURS

Manufacturers’ Concern

The council of the Wellington Manufacturers’ Association, nt a recent meeting. gave consideration to the announcement by the New Zealand Reapers’ Federation that at its forthcoming conciliation council in connexion with the Retail Shop Assistants’ Award the retail employers may agree to a five-day week of 43 hours. “Our council fully approved the action of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation in drawing attention to the obligation which retailers have to the consuming public,”: stated the president of the Wellington Manufacturers’ Association yesterday. “Probably Wellington, Lower Hutt and Petone have more workers dependent on Saturday shopping than any other industrial area in New Zealand. These workers include hundreds of married women with families, and others who are working long hours, including much overtime, and who have to travel a considerable distance to work. Investigation has shown that, factory workers already have considerable difficulty in doing personal and family shopping, as an increasing number of retail shops are closing for lunch, or early on Friday evening or on Saturday._ All we ask is that the retailers, in fairness to all sections of the community. _ and fully recognizing their own difficulties as we do. should take all these factors into consideration when adjusting shopping hours.” “Since this federation first expressed concern at the possibility of retail shops closing on Saturday mornings without adequate compensating shopping hours being available on the other days of the week we have had increasing evidence from all the main industrial areas of the Dominion about shopping difficulties even under present hours.” stated Mr. D. I. Macdonald, secretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, in commenting upon the subject yesterday “We fully realize that within the limits of public convenience retailers and their assistants are free to make their own award conditions,” he continued. “However, the fact that mnnv thousands of factory workers can shop only at lunch time, on Friday night or Saturday morning. should not be lost sight of. All this federation asks is that if Saturday elosintr is introduced shops .should remain open for sufficient and suitable hours on other days of the week to meet the reasonable needs of every section of the community, and to avoid interference with essential factory production because of workers having to bn absent to do necessary family shopping.”