NORTH WAIRARAPA LIBERAL ASSOCIATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4781, 24 July 1894, Page 3

NORTH WAIRARAPA LIBERAL ASSOCIATION.

The Labour bills.

At a meeting of the North Wairarapa Liberal Association, held on Monday evening the Shop and ShopAssistants Bill, and the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill, were nndor discussion,

Jlr D. S, Papworth in introducing the Shop ami Shop Assistants Bill, said that the Bill was divided into two separate parts, the first dealing with compulsory closing of shops for 0110 lmlf-day in each week, with a compulsory half-holiday for all shop assistants. He thought thoy were all agreed as to these provisions the only point on which they might differ was the day which should bo fixed on, and what authority should fix it. There were many good arguments to bu advanced in favour of making a universal Saturday halfholiday, hut there was only one—so fur as he could learn from rending Parliamentary debates—against it and that was the barrier of custom and usage. Sat-J urday had for centuries been the shop-keepers' principal day of business and by usage it find become the only day on which country people, and the working classes, could conveniently do their shopping. It would at oiico he recognised that any chancre from present conditions, would create confusion for a time. But the same usage which had made Saturday tbo convenient day, would very soon make Friday tho convenient day, and commercial equa-l-tout)' would soon bo restored, The second portion of the Jsill made provision for women and young persons not being employed in shops for more than fifty-eight hours per wee'e, and for not more than ten and a-half hours on any one day,with mi intermission of at least half-an-hour for refreshments after five hours continuoui; work. These provisions would again upset thcusualcourscof things, and with very good cause, It had been stated, that stipulating the hours of labour to not more than ten nnd-a-lmlf hours on any one day, would he an injustice and a hardship to tho shopkeepers. But it was an extraordinary fact, that while men legislators were ready to call out about the injustice and hardship to shopkeepers, they did not for a moment think of the injustice and hardship done to women by compelling thorn to remain in shops, sometimes for fourteen or fifteen hours per day. Women,who lvcre physically weaker than men, could by tho Act be obliged to work for fifty-eight hours per week while men were trying to establish laws for making eight hours a day's work for themselves. He would move the adoption of the Bill as introduced.

Amendments were proposed and carried in the direction of making Saturday half-holiday a general one for tho whole Colony, and that the day be fixed by Parliament—That the dinner time be extended to one hour, and that the hours of labour for women be reduced from liftyeiglit hours to fifty-four per week, With these amendments the Bill was approved, Tho adoption of the Conciliation and Arbitration Bill in its entirely was proposed by Jlr Papwortli, He stated that the Bill was not a difficult one to understand. It provided for submitting all labour disputes to an elective Conciliation Board, and in case the settlement of dispute was not arrived at, then to nil Arbitration Court consisting of three members, one to be nominated by each party with a Supreme or District Court Judgo as President. The only objections to this Bill was the constitution of the Court of Arbitration, and the £lO penalty which could be imposed 011 any individual member of an Union. He considered that both tho constitution of tho Court and the penalty that could bo imposed, would act as a deterrent to the Hubmission o. c bona fide disputes, to the provisions of tho Bill. An amendment was carried to tho effect that the JI.H.R. for tho district in which the dispute arises, should be President of tho Court of Arbitration, With this amendment tho Bill was approved.