The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUG. 11, 1905. SHOE'S AND OFFICES ACT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 78956, 11 August 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUG. 11, 1905. SHOE'S AND OFFICES ACT.

In consequence of the stir created throughout the colony a lew months ago by the provisions of the Shops and Offices Act, 1904, an amending liill was introduced into the House by the Premier almost the first hour of the present session of Parliament. Afterwards the measure was referred to the Labour Bills Committee, which look a large amount of evidence on the subject, embracing every shade of opinion. The Committee has now presented its report to Parliament, material alterations in .many of the clauses being recommended. Clause I: of the amending Dill has been struck out, aird the following new clause inserted A shop assistant shall not !*■ employed (a) in a shop required under section 21 of the principal Act to close at -a specified hour, after the hour so specified ;i (b) in any other , if, any jof the trades mentioned in the first schedule hereto is carried on therein after eleven o'clock in the evening on on® working day in each week, or eight o'clock in the evening on other working days, nor if none -of the trades -mentioned in the second scht-duJc is carried on therein after eleven o'clock in the evening on one working day in each week, or six! o'clock in the evening on other working days. The schedules are as follows Shops to close at eight o'clock : Chemists, tobacconists, hairdressers, booksellers, Ilorists, bakers, dairy produce sellers. Shops to close at nine o'clock : Fruiterers, confectioners, refresh-ment-room-kecpcrs, pork butchers, fishmongers, lixcepkd offices : Shipping, railway, tramway, newspa|>er, telegraph agencies, cable companies, freezing companies,! forwarding agents, live stock ■ auctioneers, buiMing societies, merchants (including warehousemen), insurance, bank, wool buyers and wool brokers. Clause 1 of the Bill has been amended, and now reads as follows: Subsection 1 of section 21 of the principal Act is amended by repealing the words, "Not being one of the districts mentioned in section 3 hereof." Subsection 2 of the same section is amended by adding thereto the words, "And a requisition under this section shall be •deemed to supersede a requisition under subsection 1 hereof, so far as such particular trade or trades is concerned.'' New clauses arc added providing that section 23 of the principal Act shall not apply to the businesses mentioned in the third schedule. The said section is amended by repealing the proviso to subsection 1 thereof in regard to overtime in the excepted offices. In schedule 3 provision is made for a time-book. When a clerk's extra time exceeds 20 hours per month, overtime at the rate of one and a-half tiintes the ordinary rate shall be paid lor so much of such extra time as exceeds 20 hours. The extra time-book shall at all times le open to l the inspection of the office assistants, and of the inspector, and the inspector jj to have power to take proceedings. T)ip purport of the amendments was made plajn in a statement In .\:-r Arnold, CliaiUiUii of the Committee, to a pressman : "In connection with jbe new sub-sec-tion of section 1, it may be mentioned that under the Act at the present time, if a petition is signed by a majoiily of t!it yhopkeepers j n a town providing for a certain closing hour, such hour is made binding upon every trade. Under the new subclause, if a retyiisi'Mon is signed by a majority of any one trade for a dif- „ ferent. hour their requisition Would • over-ride Ural signed by the majority of all shopkeepers, and would exempt their particular trade from the •fleet of the general requisition. It Kill thus be apparent that it is nipst . i-rlikcly that there will.be one universal hour of closing, hut the differ- I -nt trades will fix their own closing '] iuur. lu short, the purport ol the j

! B'H is thai the hours ot closing have been fixed lot shops as mentioned in tile schedules, but.six o'clock will apply to all other trades not mentioned in the schedules, but any trade by getting up a requisition under clause 21 ot lite principal Act can'.vote it- ' self out of the closing clauses of the Bill, and fix its own hour. Employees nwy be employed during the whole time the sitop is open, not exceedi g the limit of 52 hours per Week. Shopkeepers who may desire to "do so, pork butchers or confectioners for instance, may bring : on one sot of employees in the afternoon and work them till midnight. Th_y will be able to work their men in ril.iys instead of in one set." Asked if (he provisions for payment of o'.fi time in offices might not tend to a ltd action in the salaries of clerks, Mr Arnold replied in the,negative. As no evidence had been tendered on the point a leading firm had been privatviy intcrviewid, and had stat'.'d that 20 hours' overtime per week would meet all their requirements.