SHOP CLOSING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 674, 28 October 1933, Page 5

SHOP CLOSING

RETAILERS' VIEWS CONFERENCE TO REMOVE ANOMALIES IS SUGGESTED ' A REVISION NEEDED "This question of closing shops is becoming alrhost a joke in this town," said the president of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce and Retailers' Association (Mr. W. R. Harris) at last night's annuai meeting when suggesting that the question of closing shops should be ventilated in order to obtain members' views. The 'diseussion arose apropos of remarks made at the last meeting of the borough council, when it was suggested that the advancement committee should consider the question of special legislation in regard to the closing of Rotorua shops on holidays. • Mr. Harris expressed the opinion that inconsistency was being shown ! by some members of the borough I council. Requests had frequently j been made by the mayor that retail- ! ers close for various sports fixtures, i but when they remained closed on tho statutory holidays, other councillors suggested that special legislation should be sought to allow them to remain open. Mr. H. S. Kingon said there was undoubtedly a great deal of confusion on the matter and he thought it should be cleared up. Mr. E. G. Guy supported this view, and suggested that a conference should be held between a representative of the Tourist Department. the borough council and the husinessmen in order to arrive at some finality. He recollected that the present member for the district had at oue time been chairman of a Parliamentary committee which had examined the matter and he thought that Mr. Clinkard should know something abou* the position. He had not seen any report of the findings of this committee, but I he thought Mr. Clinkard should know j something about it and he asked to . assist. Very serious anomalies exist- j ed at present and some effort should j be made to correct them. The chairman said he thought that ' a lot of confusion would be avoided ! if the regulations were universal I throughout the Dominion. Then j people would know where they stood. j He explained that the extra closing , day following Labour Day had been [ brought in as a result of a requisitiori } which allowed shopkeepers to keep j open on Easter Saturday. Mr. J. H. Higgins expressed the opinion that too much notice was being taken of recent remarks bj: councillors. Retailers knew what their awards werfe and they should know v/hen they were required to close. In his opinion it was a useful privilege to keep open on Easter Saturday. He agreed, however, that there were many anomalies. ! Mr. Harris said that although the j awards stipulated certain things, if j an employer did not bring his em- J ployees back, he could open his shop | himself. That was where some of the j confusion arose. Mr. Guy stated that Rotorua was • advertised as a tourist town and they | should, therefore, try to entertain | their visitors. It would be quite possible for the Government to grant a special dispensation to Rotorua as a tourist resort and allow it to fix suit- > able closing dates and hours. Mr. J. McDowell endorsed these : remarks and expressed the opinion that every effort should be made to cater for the travelling public. He thought that nothing but good could come of a conference as suggested. After some further diseussion the j opinion was expressed that the assoc- ; iation could move when the attitude t of the advancement committee was j declared. The council had ref erred | the question to this committee and it i was for it to move in the first place. j j