Shopping hours

Taupo Times, Volume 19, Issue 98, 17 December 1970, Page 1

Shopping hours

Christmas shopping hours are still the subject of dissention among the Taupo business community. Legal advice has been sought and discussions with the Department of Labour in Hamilton were scheduled for today. Mr D. Dawson said yesterday it appeared that those businesses with normal Saturday opening exemptions would be entitled to open on December 26 and January 2, but not on the following Mondays. Last week a departmental officer from Rotorua said retailers with the right to open on statutory holidays could open on both days; but those with exemptions only for Saturdays could not open on any of those days because the Saturdays and Mondays of the major holiday break were statutory holidays. He inferred that retailers digressing from the terms of

their permits would render themselves liable for prosecution. Mr Dawson said different answers had been received from the department and it had been decided, with legal assistance, to go over the head of Rotorua and refer to Hamil ton, the more senior department, seeking the exact terms of the retail shopping rights over the holiday period. The answer will be published in the Taupo Times next week.