1.—9.

C. E. HODDINOTT.J

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81. I know a case in Auckland ?—Then, it should be legal for her to keep an assistant on the late night. 82. Mr. Davey.] I think you said that no restriction should be placed on a man and his family— referring to family ties ? —Yes, parents are the best judges as to what to do with their children. 83. Do you think they should not be considered as assistants ? —They should not be designated as assistants if they are not paid for their services. 84. Supposing you had two sons and I had two sons —if I sent my two sons to you and you sent your two sons to me, would they not be assistants ?—Yes, they should then come under the definition of " assistants." 85. And if they work for themselves they would not be assistants ?—lf they served in the shop while their father or mother was having tea only they should not be designated " assistants." 86. I dare say you know several shops in Christohurch which will bring this question to your mind : Do you think it is fair that a man who employs four or five assistants should be forced to shut up while another man who has none should be allowed to keep open ?—As long as an assistant is not kept after 6 o'clock, such a man should have the same advantages as others —he should be able to look after the shop himself if he is not too lazy to do so. 87. I understand that you represent the tobacconists ?—I represent all the trades, but I believe you have a petition from the tobacconists. 88. I have a letter from them, but they want special hours for themselves ?—lf they were required to keep a time-book they should keep the time off in the morning and be asked to work late at night. 89. Right Hon. R. J. Seddon.] Has the question been put as to the latest hour asked for in this particular business ? Supposing Parliament decided that there should be a limit fixed for all shops carrying on business in which assistants are employed ? —We fix no hour. We have simply asked for absolute freedom, but we certainly do not object to our assistants being protected, and I am sure none of us would deny ourselves so far as to ruin our own health. We should not keep open till midnight, but if I had a customer to attend to who wanted to spend £10 or £12 I would not like to turn that customer away ; but I want the freedom to turn the key in my door when it best suits me. 90. You want absolute freedom to do as you like ?—Yes. So long as there is a chance of getting trade in the evening we do not want to close the doors. 91. You would not like to be employed after midnight ?—No. I think most of the shops in Christchurch close early except fruiterers and others selling perishable goods, who have to keep open to serve people coming from the theatres, but all other shops you seldom see open after 9 o'clock. With regard to fruiterers, fishmongers, and pork-butchers, that is when they get their trade. People going home sometimes buy a bit of ham for supper, and these shops require to keep open. I think every man should be the best judge of the time he should close. 92. You said they all closed voluntarily at 9 o'clock ?—No, I did not refer to your reporter, and do not try to put words into my mouth that I never uttered ; what I said was that if you go through the streets of Christohurch and suburbs you seldom see any shops open outside the fruiterers, fishmongers, and such places after 9 o'clock. 93. You say you did not see them open ? —Not in the streets I pass through. 94. If you did not see them open after 9 o'clock they would not be open, so far as you know? —There may be other shops open in the streets I do not pass through. 95. Is it true or otherwise that most of the shops in Christohurch shut up at 9 o'clock on their own account ?—I cannot say that, only for the street lam residing in and where my business is carried on. In Sydenham, I think some of the shops are open till 10 o'clock at night; Mr. Ell can tell you that. 96. It would have been better if you had told the Committee that you referred to the one street you passed through ? —I go through four or five streets. 97. WeH, in the five streets you happened to go through you say the shops close at 9 o'clock : it would not be a great hardship if the shops, with the exception of fruiterers and fishmongers, closed at 9 o'clock ?—I am only speaking for myself, but what my association claims is absolute freedom with regard to the time the shopkeeper should turn round and go into his own door and turn his key. 98. Still, people voluntarily close at 9 o'clock —that is your evidence ? —I say you seldom see shops open in the streets I pass through, except such places as suburban grocers, and so on. 99. Mr. Aitken.] You said the association you represent numbers over five hundred ?—No ; 490. 100. How many shops are there in the combined district of Christohurch ?—About 640, as far as lam able to judge. There may be a percentage of those who are not monopolists, and who close at 6 o'clock through living out of town. Then, there are the large shops, such as the Supply Stores, Strange's, Ballantyne's, Warden's, D.1.C., and others. 101. I understand that you represent 490 out of the six or seven hundred ?—Yes, I think that is about the number. 102. Mr. Tanner.] Does your association support or disapprove of the compulsory half-holiday ? —They disapprove of the Saturday half-holiday, because the best trade is done on that day through the farming community of Canterbury coming in for miles around, and they then have Sunday to rest, which some require. 103. Your idea of freedom is that the proprietor should have the right to do what he likes with regard to closing except with his assistants ?—Yes, and a time-book should be kept to satisfy the Factory Inspector. 104. You spoke of the large shops closing at 6 o'clock, which kept their employees on the move for hours later in delivering goods ?—Yes. ! jlos. Did you find that to be the case with the particular firms you mentioned ?—Yes. I can give the names of several other firms —large drapery firms—which close at 6 o'clock ; but, so far as other