The fruiterers of Wellington are mostly aliens. There are about eighty Chinese carrying on the fruit business and about twenty Europeans. There are really more Europeans than twenty, but several of them have taken to hawking in the public streets. These hawkers compete with the occupiers of business premises, and though, I understand they pay a license to the local body, they pay no rates, taxes, or rent, and therefore are in a position to sell much more cheaply and at other times than the shopkeepers. The fruiterers in Wellington mostly sell not only fruit, but other articles. The question has been raised of Chinese selling groceries. Well, in other parts of the colony which I have recently visited I have found that some of the fruiterers are confectioners as well. In Wellington the fruiterers sell groceries and tobacco. The question of the fruiterers closing at 6 has also been brought up. I can give evidence that a great many of the fruiterers in Wellington have closed during the last month. I have in my hand a statement showing that on the 19th June the Inspector of Factories proceeded against several Chinese fruiterers. As to the manner in which the Chinese carry on their business some of the shops are conducted by one occupant, and the larger shops —it was against two or three of these that the Inspector of Factories took proceedings —employ one or more assistants. These places carry on the fruit trade to a large extent, and assistants have to be employed in order to enable the proprietors to carry on the business. Well, I have been assured by the Chinese against whom the Inspector took proceedings —Kong Wah and Co., Ah Wing Bros., and Ah Chee —that they have suffered severe loss through not being able to sell their fruit. The result will be that if the law is enforced in their business they will simply have to go out of it altogether. As to how the Europeans engaged in the fruit trade are situated, I will state a case that I have personal knowledge of. In one of the business premises which belongs to me there were two brothers of the name of Burgess carrying on business. They have conformed with the law and closed at 6. The result of their closing at 6 has been the loss of from £9 to £11 per week. These people's premises were situated in Riddiford Street, Newtown. I might mention that the Burgesses had their sister helping them, but when the Inspector told them that they could not have an assistant in the business they thought that rather than have any trouble with the Department they would get rid of their assistant and close the business up. 204. You said that you represent the association. Do the Chinamen belong to the association Yes. There are forty-five Chinamen and, I think, about eight Europeans belonging to the association,
[D. H. Y. GETE.
Dong Hong Yam Gete examined. (No. 32.) 205. The Chairman.] Do you wish to make a statement ?—Yes, sir if you will allow me. 206. Will you tell us how the Act affects your shop ?—I have a shop opposite the Post-office in Newtown. Several Chinamen came up and told me how the Inspector had come and shut them up. Other Chinamen complained, and said they were suffering a great deal of loss. But I hardly understood what they said. When I was by myself one Friday night, however, the Inspector came and told me that I must shut at 6. So I shut at 6. On the Friday night before that I took £4 10s., but on the night when he came and told me to shut up I took only £1 14s. If the fruit is left from 6at night till Bin the morning it will, in the summer-time, be brought near to getting rotten. Fruit generally sells at from 6tolo at night. A lady came to my shop and asked, What made you shut up last night Well," I said, the Inspector came to my shop and made me shut up, and I cannot help it." "But," she said, I want to get fruit." I said, You will have to come at a different hour, then." "Oh she said, The doctor says my girl must have fruit; she is sick." I told her I could not help it. The next morning a lady came and said, I came here, but you were shut." I said, Yes the Inspector made me shut. I could not help it. You will have to come at a different time now." Look here," she said, my husband is working on the wharf he left before you were open, and when he came home all the shops were shut. All my family were starving that night." Then, a gentleman came one morning before 8 o'clock and knocked at the door. I was inside sweeping. The knocking continued, and he said, Open the door I want some cigarettes." I said, You cannot get them till 8." He said, I must be at work at 8. What am Itodo I said You will have to see the Inspector and get permission for me to open for you." In Newtown eight shops out of ten are selling tobacco and greengroceries in addition to fruit. So if they shut up at 6 o'clock it will be very difficult for men up there to get some onion or something else for breakfast. So a lot of Chinese said, This is no good. We will get you, as you have interpreted for the Court so long, just to go and tell the gentlemen." 207. You mean that there are ten Chinese shops at Newtown, and eight of them sell groceries and tobacco and fruit ?—Fruit, tobacco, greengroceries, and some other groceries. Every shopkeeper told me this If they will not let us remain open till 10, try to get them to make it 9 o'clock on a week night, but 10 on Saturday." That is what they told me to ask you, gentlemen. Seven o'clock in the morning is quite early enough men come in to get something for breakfast. At Newtown most of the men come down to town to work. When they start the shops are not open, and when they go home all the shops are shut. 208. Mr. Sidey (to Mr. Baylis).] Referring to the shops against which proceedings were taken, were they shops which carried on a combined business —-Yes. I think two of the shops sell Chinese goods besides the fruit. 209. Two of the shops proceeded against sold something else besides fruit —Yes, I think so. 210. If the shops selling a similar class of goods are closed at 6, do you not think it unfair that after these shops have shut some other shop selling the same goods should be allowed to keep open —I would not like to go into a general discussion of that, for this reason in the colony there are, I think, very few shops that confine themselves to one special trade. I know of a grocer's shop in Newtown, three doors from a Chinaman's fruit-shop, which sells vegetables, tapes and cotton, and ironmongery, and small articles of that description. Newtown is entirely cut off from the centre of Wellington, and is almost a centre of its own. Since early closing has come into force all the shops have had to shut up at 6, except two or three one-man shops, and the result has been stagnation of trade. The takings of businesses which were £3 or £4 a day have dwindled down to that number of shillings. 211. At any rate, you recognise that it would not be fair to, say, a grocer if another man who sold groceries and also fruit was allowed to remain open while he was shut ?—Yes. 212. Did the two brothers named Burgess, who closed at 6, sell anything other than fruit No they were purely fruiterers and greengrocers. 213. Is there any one particular hour at which the fruiterers would agree to close ?—That I would not like to say. 214. (To Mr. Dong Hong.) Do you think all the fruiterers would agree to close at one time You mean close at the same hour 215. Yes —Yes they are willing to, as long as you allow them to keep the assistants. 216. At what time —At 9 o'clock on week-nights, 1 on Wednesday, and 10 on Saturday night. 217. They all agree to that ?—Yes that is what they all told me. And open at 7in the morning. 218. Would you agree to the shopkeepers fixing their own hours, under a clause here If a majority of shopkeepers say the shops shall be closed at a certain hour, then all have got to close at that hour :do you agree to that —Yes all close at the same hour. In a shop where there is an assistant employed, say, the assistant is not to work more than fifty-two hours a week. There would not be much doing in the morning, and the shopkeeper could let him off till noon, so long as he worked later. They are agreeable that way too. 219. Mr. Barber.] You said you thought 10 o'clock late enough on Saturday night: do you think 10 o'clock is late enough for Newtown ?—Ten o'clock is late enough for me. 220. But do not the people, when they come back from town, want to do their shopping after 10 —Well, if I ask for a later hour you might not give me any at all. The people will have to get used to 10 o'clock and make haste home. 221. Mr. Alison (to Mr. Baylis).] You said that if the law was enforced as to 6-o'clock closing the fruit-shops would have to close up. Are you confident that that would be the effect ?—I take it that would be the effect. I may say that ever since the inception of the Bill I have tried as far as possible to resist it and protect the people who have been punished, doing it in as passive a manner as possible. I did not want to work in opposition to the Department, because I knew they were placed in a very awkward position but we had our living to look after. And I know for a positive fact that
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