Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] TUESDAY, NOV. 15,1904. “The Shops and Offices Act, 1904.”

Manawatu Herald, 15 November 1904, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] TUESDAY, NOV. 15,1904. “The Shops and Offices Act, 1904.”

Considerable diversion of opinion .exists as to the correct meaning of “ The Shops and Offices Act, 1904.” Therefore we reprint those clauses pertaining to closing hours of shops and hours of employment, from a copy kindly handed to us for perusal by the Inspector of Factories: — EARLY CLOSING. V 3. All shops in the combined districts ot Auckland, Wellington, Christ* church, and Dunedin-in which two or more persons (including the occupier) are employed shall be closed for business between the hours of six o’clock in the evening and eight in the morning of the next succeeding working day on four days of the week, and between the hours of nine o’clock in the evening and eight in the morning of the next succeeding working-day on one day of the week : Provided that if such one day of the week be Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, then shops may on that day be kepi open until 11 o’clock in the evening ; and also that, in case Christmas Day or New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday or on a Monday, then shops may be kept open until 11 o’clock in the evening on the Saturday immediately preceding: Provided further that tor the purpose ot this section refreshment rooms shall not be deemed to be shops, HOURS OF EMPLOYMENT, &C. 4, (1.) A shop-assistant shall not be employed in or about the shop or its business — (a.) For more than fifty-two hours, excluding meal-times, in any one week; nor (b.) For more than nine hours, excluding meal-times, in any one day, except on one day in each week, when the employment may be for eleven hours, excluding meal-times; nor

(c.) For more than five hours continuously without an interval of at least an hour for a meal; nor (d.) At any lime a;" in the afternoon or one wording day in each .week, . which day shall (subject to the provisions of section fifteen here* ot) be the day on which the shop is required to close as hereinafter provided, 2* _ The provisions of the last proceeding subsection relating to the hours of employment ofshop assistants (other than those relating to the statutory half-holiday) shall not apply to any shop-assistant whilst engaged in delivering goods at the residence df any person situate four miles or upwards from the siiop, and not being within three miles of any borough or town district or within any area in which an award of the Arbltl'tb tion Court is in force relating to the trade of the occupier, or while engaged in receiving produce or Other c mmodity trom any such person! Provided that the hours of employment under this subsection shall not under ordinary eh'cumstancds (exceed the hours limited by paragraph (a) of the last preceding subsection hereof by more than three hours in any one week. (3.) For the purposes of stock-taking, or other special work, such working hours may, with the previous written consent of the Inspector, be extended* but not for more than three hours in any one day On not more than thirty days in any OnC year i Provided that on every such occasion the shop-assistant shall not be employed for more than four hours continuously without having an interval of at least half an hour for rest and re* freshment >

Provided also that , every .shop: assistant employed diinrig stick Extended ROUfs shrill b§ paid therefor at half US much again as the ordinary rate, but the overtime rate shall not be less than sixpence per hour for those assistants whose ordinary wages do not exceed xos a week, not 1 less than gd per hour for all other assistants §0 employed, and shall be paid at the first regular payday thereafter : Provided further that no payment for such extended hours as aforesaid shall be made .to any shop-assistant whose wages are or exceed T- oc * P er annum.

. (4.) This section shall operate subject to the provisions of this Act, and to any award of the Arbitration Court. 5. In order to prevent any evasion or avoidance of the limitation imposed on the employment of shop-assiStants by the last preceding section) the fob lowing provisions shall apply In the case of every shop-assistant:— (a.) The shop-assistant shall not be employed in or about the shop or its business during the intervals for rest and refreshment. (b.) The shop-assistant shall be deemed to be employed in the shop if he in fact does any work in or about the shop, whether the occupier has as* sented thereto or not. (c.) All work done tor the occupier of the • shop by the shopassistant elsewhere than in the shop (whether the work is or is not m connection with the business of trie shop) shall be deemed 10 be done whilst the shop assistant is employed in the shop, and the time shall be counted accordingly. (lause 6 makes it compulsory for shop-keepers to provide reasonable and proper seating-accommodation for female assistants. They must be allowed to avail themselves of suffi accommodation. There are some very stringent clauses in the new Act, which shop and officekeepers would do well to acquaint themselves with. The Act does not seem clear as regards Ifoxton, unless we are included in the Wellington Combined District.