SUNDAY TRADING.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 November 1917, Page 3

SUNDAY TRADING.

HOTEL WORKERS PROTEST

LETTER TO iITTOIVNTSY-GEJitell.il..

The following letter has been addressed b ythe Secretary of the )\ cflington Hotel Club, and Restaurant, Workers’ Union to the Hon. A. L. Herdman, Attorney-General, relative to Sunday trading: “I enclose a newspaper cutting rela-

tive to some cases take® by the Department under your control with regard to Sunday trading. You will notice that- four persons in this instance i'ei.e only charged witl? 1 the offence of Sunday trading; and these four persons so charged are only in a very small way of business. What we would like to know from you as Attorney-General nln your Department prosecute the little fellow and lot the big marble bar proprietors go scot free! Is it that the Department- are afraid of prosecuting the large employers who continually break tlio law by carrying on Sunday trading? Then again, where are all those who carry on Stihdav trading notbeing prosecuted every week? Mould the same leniency be shown to hotels for Sunday trading as apparently is shown to these marble bars? If not, | why not ?

“In New Zealand ■ there are no leys than 157 businesses carrying on Sunday trading against the law. Why arc not all these people prosecuted weekly for breaking the law? “See the revenue that could be derived from such proceedings—ls 7 people breaking the law every week and paying the proscribed fine of £1 would bring in revenue to the. amount of £8164. plus costs £1224 12s per annum, and if the law against Sunday trailing had been enforced for the last three years the Consolidated Fund would have benefit ted to the amount of £28,165 16s (£2-1.492 lines, £3673 16s costs), whereas the total amount collected from this source had been only £2B 15s for tlio same period. But what we suggest to you, sir as AttorneyGeneral is that you pass a “War Regulation’ making the fine for Sunday trading £IOO or more . “Do not reply to us and say that vou cannot pass a regulation against these law-breakers for Sunday trading. -Have you not already passed regulations against men ceasing work, free speech, strikes, and against anti-shout-ing wherein the penalty is a double one on the barmaid or barman who breaks same? Then/if this > s s*V ' vll Y should marble bars be immune 5 from such regulations? You have very often publicly expressed yourself as a firm believer in upholding the law and oi - der land can no 9 surely ’allow these marble bar proprietors continue to openly flout the law. “We contend that you, sir, as Attorney General must either pass the regulation wc suggest to stop the Sunday trading, or you must see that your Police Department enforces the law as it stands against these law-breakers not spasmodically, hut continually, anil see that they are penalised to the full extent that the law at present allows. “I feel sure that if you adopt the. second suggestion made herein—prosecute Sunday traders weekly—that the Minister of Finance will he pleased, as he has complained of the falling-off in revenue. But we would rather see our first suggestion adopted by you, sir W ar regulation—and a stop put to the Sunday trading, which would mean that over 470 odd girls who now have to work on Sundays for these lawbreakers would have the pleasure of enjoying that- day a s the real day of rest-.’’