NOURS IN SHOPS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 January 1922, Page 5

NOURS IN SHOPS.

THE NEW BILL PASSED. POSITION OT CLERKS. SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY. By Telegraph.— Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In the House to-day the Minister for Labor (the Hon. G. J. Anderson) moved to go into committee on the Shops and Offices Bill, recommended by the Labor Bills Committee. The Minister said the Bill was largely a consolidating measure. The principal amendments were in connection with the interpretation of florists and fruiterers and a number of other occupations not previously defined. Then there was a clause dealing with workers in hotels, while the meaning of other awards had been made more specific. In marble bars women would, if the Bill was passed, cease work at 10.30 p.m. He was going to ask the Hoifse to re-insert the clause enabling shops to be opened in small seaports. Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton) protested against the Minister over-riding the decisions of the Labor Bills Committee, which considered every clause in the Bill. The Minister’s attitude in re-in-serting a clause was exceedingly unsatisfactory.

EXEMPTION OF CLERKS. Mr. D. J. Sullivan (Avon) objected to the definition of office and exemption from the benefits of the Bill of clerks and employees in offices Mr. T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Opposition), adopted a similar line of argument, referring particularly to clerks in banks.

Dr. H. T. Thacker (Christchurch East) put in a plea for a universal Saturday half-holiday. After the Minister had replied the motion to go into committee was agreed to.

In committee Mr. Sullivan moved an amendment in the definition of “office,” so as to include all clerks in the benefits of the Bill. This was supported by several members. The Premier said clerks had asked not to be included in the Bill.

Mr. J. S. Dickson (Parnell) said deputations had come before the Labor Bills Committee asking for exemption; this applied especially to solicitors and insurance clerks.

The Hon. G. J. Anderson said there had been objections to the inclusion ot clerks in the Bill ever since this class of legislation was placed on the statute book. Be was not disposed to go into the reasons for these objections, but he was prepared during the recess to meet the Clerks’ Union and guilds and see whether any workable scheme could be devised, and if so embody it in a Bill next session. That, he thought, was a fair offer.

After further discussion Mr. Sullivan announced that he would accept the Minister’s offer, and he expressed the hope that something acceptable would be the outcome of the conference. The amendment was withdrawn. THE HALF-HOLIDAY. Jn clause 20 Mr. J. Craigie (Timaru) moved an. amendment which would give towns an opportunity to review the selection of the day on which the weekly half-holiday is observed. He favored a universal Saturday half-holiday, but towns which selected Saturday for the half-holiday were finding it to their detriment while neighbouring towns observed Wednesday or Thursday. The Minister said his experience was that every town in New Zealand dependent on country trade which selected the Saturday half-holiday had regretted it, and ’would willingly return to a half-holiday iu the middle of the week. At the same time he was not prepared to accept the amendment. Several speakers supported the amendment, because small towns and small traders were losing trade. The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) said the amendment would simply lead to a sea-saw system, and there would be no stability/ Time must be given to people to get accustomed to any new system. Mr. A. D. McLeod (Wairarapa) said it was not a fact that all small countrv towns wished to discard the Saturday half-holiday. The injury done by the Saturday half-holiday was more imaginary than real. Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) declared that the agitation against the Saturday half-holiday was merely a jealous scramble for trade amongst certain business men. The remedy for the whole trouble was a universal Saturday half-holiday. On a division the amendment was lost by 50 votes to 16,

SHOPS AT PORTS. In clause 22 the Minister moved to re-instate the provision that shops in ports other than Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Port Chalmers may reopen for the purpose of trading with ships. Sir John Luke (Wellington North) said the Labor Bills Committee had struck this provision out after full consideration, and the Minister had not given any sound reason why it should be re-instated. He hoped the action of the Labor Bills Committee would be sustained.

On a division the provision was reinstated by 39 votes to 30. Sub-clause 3 of sect iop 26 provided that where two holidays were observed in any one week then the weekly halfholiday need not be observed. Mr. McCombs moved to strike the subclause out on the ground that it would deprive employees of two holidays in the year. The sub-clause was retained on a division by 40 votes to .19. The remaining clauses were passed unamended and the Bill was read a third time and passed.