GROCERS’ CLAIMS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 212, 7 August 1937, Page 11

GROCERS’ CLAIMS.

COAIPETITION FROM DAIRIES. AFTER-HOURS SALES. Per Press Association. NEAA r PLYAIOUTH, Aug. 6. Action to prevent competition with grocery shops by dairies after business hours of the former was sought from the Court of Arbitration by both parties in the Taranaki grocers’ dispute. The claims for an award and the counter-proposals both included a clause seeking to enforce the same business hours for grocery shops and others selling the same main lines. The hearing was adjourned to Auckland. Air A. AA r . Croskery, the union s representative, said that in his opinion the Shops and Offices Act would give the power both sides sought. It would be provided, that the parties to an award, whether they employed assistants or not, should observe any hours laid down by that award. The suggested clause in the award the Court was asked to make defined the lines sold by grocers. AA'heii that was included, dairies or any other businesses substantially competing with grocers would be added as parties to the award. There was a similar instance in the case of butchers’ shops. Any shop selling fresh meat had to oliserve the same hours as butchers. “One shop takes only a quart of milk a day and sells groceries at night,” Maid Air Croskery when mentioning that at Hastings 'there were 78 dairies. Some of those dairies were in unfair competition with the grocers. The union had urged the grocers to try to protect themselves before, but this was the first time the employers had adopted the suggestion. As the dispute was ..adjourned to Auckland, Air Justice O’Regan asked Ah' Croskery to make a statement when the Court sat there.