SUNDAY TRADING AT THE SEASIDE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3595, 5 February 1927, Page 2

SUNDAY TRADING AT THE SEASIDE.

FINES IMPOSED.

THE MAGISTRATE’S WARNING.

At the local S.M. Court yesterday, before Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., M. E. Perreau and G. Pcrreau appeared on three charges each of Sunday trading in connection until their Beach stores.

M. Bergin appeared for' defendants and pleaded guilty. In outlining the case, Constable Owen said that G. Perreau had recently taken over one of his father’s grocery stores at the Beach, while Mr Perreau ran.the other. As a result of complaints about Sunday trading, the police had visited the stores in question. At the main store,, run by G. Perreau, there was a notice posted on the main entrance directing people to go roundto another door .leading into the tea rooms, from which a further door led into the store proper, where groceries, ice cream, soft drinks, etc. were for sale. There was also another store at the Beach which refused to sell even to regular customers on Sunday, and these people were able to go to the other store and obtain goods and bad told the proprietors of the first store, what fools they were not to sell on Sunday. Both father and son had been warned about selling goods on Sunday after the date of the first charge, but the practice had still continued.

Mr Bergin, for defendants; said that the Sunday trading had been done openly. As a matter of tact one of the 'constables bad been offered the purchase of a large box of chocolates in order to make a “test" case. Defendants bad been in the habit of selling soft drinks, fruits, etc., on Sundays, for years.

The S.M.: In the cities it pays to pav the tine and keep open. Mr Bergin/: I would ask your Worship to make this a warning case.

The S.M. : But 1 understand defendants are still continuing the practice. Continuing, the S.M. said refreshments such as ice cream, soft drinks, and afternoon tea could be sold to be consumed on the premises on Sundays, but not sweets, etc.

Mr Bergin said defendants acted openly and frankly. They did not know the exact position obtaining, in regard to Sunday trading. There bad been no previous prosecutions for this offence in Foxton. Mi-Perreau said that the notice! directing people to the side entrance was put up on account of the wind blowing in the front entrance. He was not connected with either store, both being managed by bis son. The groceries referred to as having been 'sold on Sunday were an urgent case of necessity. He was of opinion that the ease should be treated as trivial. The S.M.: ißut you have already been warned. It is not trivial.

Mr Perreau: No groceries have been sold since we were warned. Continuing, he said that he could bring witnesses to prove that the other shop at the Beach sold goods on Sundays. Two wrongs, however, did not make a right. The S.M.: They have never been caught. Constable Owen said that the same watch had been kept on the other store as on defendants’. The S.M. said that in the cities it was considered more profitable to pay the fines'than to shut the shops and there the maximum fine of £5 was imposed for each breach. This was the first time defendants had been caught, but they had been caught on three separate Sundays and warnings had been given them. He also said that the shops, to a certain extent still allowed refreshments to be taken otf the premises. Fines* of £2 with costs 10/- would be imposed in each case and if defendants appeared before him again for a similar offence the maximuni fine of £5 would be imposed.