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catering establishments. Some parents complained that young
people were being employed more than 40 hours a week and thought
is was wrong they should be so employed when adults often work
less. The national working week is 42 hours. The maximum
working week laid down in the Act is no longer justified. The
Gowers Committee of 1949 recommended an adjustment of these
hours to include juveniles employed in offices. "The Inspector"
the official journal of the Institute of Shops Acts Administration
has reported some disturbing results of prosecutions in which young
persons were involved. In one case a boy was employed in a
butcher's shop for 62 hours and at a petrol service station boys were
employed throughout the night.
Official Notices may be informative but appear to have no
inspiration to teenagers, at least this was the impression of the
Inspector when he called at a ladies' hairdressing establishment. The
staff had removed the Shops Acts notices from the wall, hid them
where they could not be found and substituted in their place photographs
of their favourite pin-ups the "Beatles." The Inspector
pointed out the legal requirements and on re-visiting the premises
found the notices neatly displayed edged with pin-ups. The
Inspector was asked if this was all right and replied "Both the
notices and pin-ups can be readily seen, Inspectors are not all that
square."
The Act, with its limitations, has been enforced as can be seen
in the schedule of this report.
Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963
This Act is a measure which brings the working conditions in
shops and offices into line with those enforceable in factories. It
replaces certain enactments under the Public Health and Shops
Acts which fell short of proper standards and places a duty of
Local Authorities to enforce. Owners of Buildings and employers
are legally responsible for complying with the requirements of the
Act from the dates the various sections come into force. The
Minister has made an Order bringing the main provision of the Act
into force on the 1st August, 1964, and that employers must register
their premises with the appropriate Authority during the period 1st
May to 31 st J uly and new occupations after this date.
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