Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1892.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4250, 22 October 1892, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878]

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1892.

Being the emended title op the Wairarapa Daily, with which it is IDENXIOAL

It is understood that business in Masterton is now fairly good, and that'shopkeepers are contented, but one little trouble menaces them which probably they have not as yet taken into account. A compulsory half holiday for shop assistants is now the law of the land, end whether the assistants or the employers want this holiday is immaterial, hecauso it is the duty p'fa.police officer or factory inspeotor to go round and satisfy bimielf that the holiday is given and taken. The penalty for not giving it is five poundo per week for each assistant, and on this basis a leading 'his town mightpossibly have to pay about a hundred pounds a week in tho way of penalty. The Act is now in force, and at least on one afternoon in each week each pployd must knock off work at 1 p.m and take his or her half holiday, whether he or she wants it or does not want it. There is no fixed day for the holiday, one shop may take Monday, another Wednesday, or a third Saturday, or a shopkeeper may give one assistant Monday, and ahqther Tuesday, and a tbird Wednesday. There* is no compulsory closing of any establishment, the only compulsion being that eaoh assistant shall hare one half holiday to himself during each week. Shopkeepers may of course meet and shop assistants may gather together, but really under the Act any combined arrangemont for a common half holiday, is diffioult because under the law eaoh individual shopkeeper can make his own arrangement. No shops either in town or country are exempt from the operation of the Act, even the chemist the restanrantrkeeper and the fruitseller are subject to ita provisions. . Probably the one point of the new arrangements which will be most discussed on both sides is whether employers will giro as high wages for five and a half days work as they have been accustomed to give for six In a largo town like Wellington, where competition is keen and every item of expenditure is material it will undoubtedly be tbe case that many assistants in taking a half-day's holiday iwltna vokns will have to sacrifice half a day's wages. This really will be the price tbey hive to pay for legislative interference on their behalf, but in a town like Masterton where the struggle forexistence ls'iiot quite so keen as in larger centres, it is probable that employers will not find it necessary to alter the rate of wages in consequence of the introduction of this measure. Still, the effeot of it must bs to gradually and perceptibly diminish wage earnings throughout the Colony. If, for example, iutlw large towns wages,

come down from five to ten per cent in consequence of this measure the reduotion will gradually affeot the rntPß paid ia the country. It remains yet 10 be seen whether the Legislature in the action which it has taken has done a good turn to chop assistants, or a bad one, We will at least hope that the former will prove to be the result.