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Show nuiiiua iio. Local Half Holiday Criticized; Merchants To Reconsider Plan Cracking down on midweek closing clos-ing cf retail grocery stor s in Utah communities, Joseph S. Mayer, sta'e director of the war man power commission com-mission Sunday said such stores face the possibility of losing their essential declaration. Utah was one of the first states In which retail grocery stores and markets were given essential c'as-sification, c'as-sification, Mr.' Meyer said, but If midweek holidays are premissible, it Is likely such places are not deserving de-serving such a classification and managers can not hope to retain thele rmployees. "The war Is not over yet," Mr. Mnvnr caiA 'l...t. .. , mm war worKers are on a 48-hour a week schedule and stores should remain open to s rve them. It Is a service stores owe their communities." The policy of some communities to have half-day or full-day ho'l-days ho'l-days during the summer will Jeopardize Jeopar-dize the food distribution system, Mr. Mayer revealed. "Consumers, finding their mar-kets mar-kets closed, will travel to adjoining adjoin-ing communities were mark ts are oen to do their shopping. This will place more work on the epmloyes of open stores while clerks of the clced stores are out to the ball game or fishing." Mr. Mayer said. He also pointed, out that stores which remain open would be nt a dls advantage ar far as taking care of the needs of their regular customers cus-tomers ts concerned, as th-ir supply sup-ply of rationed goods would be used by persons coming from other districts. dis-tricts. "This running back and forth for commodities would be a waste of time, to say nothing of gasoline and Urn," Mr. Mayers said. Commenting on the situation. Alton Hartle, Utah manager, U. S. department of labor, wage and hour and public contracts division, said cutting hours In the work we k by half-day closing would leave employers em-ployers liable under wage and hour laws. If. since wage stalHzatiotn flrma have cut the work week, thus increasing weekly wage rates. Through grocery retailers employing em-ploying eight or few r employes are exempt under wage stabilization, Mr. Hartle pointed out that if the practice prac-tice Is widespread and Is hindering the war effort by hampering food distribution. WLB could withdraw exemption. mnWlnu if m.riM, r.. . o .v ..ii. ....U j , W, these firms to app al to WLB fnr permission to shorten hours and the pemlsslon, of course, would not be given. H. Orant Ivlns, district O P A director, said the practice would tend to upset regular meat distribution distri-bution schedules as citizens of out of town communlity wold travel to another and therby spe-d the depletion deple-tion of the meet stock. The stores cf Cedar City began a weekly half-holiday Inst week, as had b-en In a number of other communities of the state, and It Is not known yet Just what effect the action ttken by the WMC will have on the closing of local stor s. However How-ever any order regarding the closing clos-ing will undoubtedly be state wide, and may result in a discontinuance of the hnlf-holldny here. Probnbly only cne or two local stores would be affected by wage and hour regulations, reg-ulations, but the other objections would apply here as well as any other community. H. M. Endsley. Chairman of the Merchants Commltfe of the Cham-ber Cham-ber of Commerce, has cnlled a meeting to lie held Monday night, to dlscurs the mntt'r nnd make a decision ns to whether or not the half-holiday will be continued or discontinued. |