RETAILERS’ TROUBLES

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 460, 30 June 1937, Page 7

RETAILERS’ TROUBLES

SHOP ASSISTANTS’ DEMANDS Less Employment Likely Press Association —Copyright. Hastings, June 29. The statement that r< tailers in the Dominion, in addition io a very heavy increase in wages last year, were now faced with demands which if granted, would hurt the employees by pressure on the employors to reduce the employment of labour to a minimum was made by the chairman, Mr C. Griffiths, at a meeting of the Hastings Retailers’ Association held to-day to consider the award' demands of shop assistants. At present, Mr Griffiths said traders carried strffs sufficient to deal with customers at a few rush hours In the aggregate a large number of shop assistants had to be found work to fill their time during periods when customers v. r r * few and far between. To meet rapidly rising costs and to be able to continue service without ruin there were only two ways open, first, to give service with th? least amount of labour possible and, second', to pass the cost on to the consumer. In many instances Mr Giifliths added, the latter w®y of escape was l inevitable but in some instances competition on a lower cost basis prevented such a natural sequence. “1 think it is necessary, therefore, to place the facts before the public, for they would have to bear the heavy end of the burden,” he said.