The Short Title of this Act is “The Shops and Shop-assistants Act Amendment Act, 1896,” and it shall form part of and be read with “The Shops and Shop-assistants Act, 1894” (hereinafter called “the principal Act”).

The following persons or classes of persons shall be deemed to be shop-assistants within the meaning of the principal Act, that is to say

Nothing in this Act contained shall apply to bond fide commercial travellers, meaning thereby persons employed by merchants as commercial travelling agents for the purpose of selling goods to or seeking orders for goods from persons who are dealers therein, and who buy to sell again.

With respect to hawkers or pedlars, and other persons who carry on business by selling or offering goods for sale by retail otherwise than in a shop, the following provisions shall apply:—

Every such person shall be deemed to be a shopkeeper, and every assistant employed by him in or about such business shall be deemed to be a shop-assistant, within the meaning of the principal Act.

Every such person shall be deemed to keep a shop open whenever and wherever for the time being be is selling or offering goods for sale as aforesaid.

Whenever any shop-assistant is employed partly in a shop and partly in a workroom in connection therewith, and the Inspector is of opinion that the principal employment of such assistant is in connection with such shop, then it shall be a sufficient compliance with the provisions of the principal Act or any other Act relating to shops and workrooms if such shop-assistant receives a half-holiday in accordance with the provisions of the principal Act or amendment thereof.

Section five of the principal Act is hereby amended by substituting the words “at any work in connection with the business of” in lieu of the words “in the ordinary course of his business in.”

Section eighteen of the principal Act is hereby repealed, and the following section is substituted therefor:—

Section six of “The Shops and Shop-assistants Act Amendment Act, 1895,” is hereby amended by repealing the word “closed.”

The proviso to section seventeen of the last-mentioned Act is hereby amended as follows:—

So long as such Gazette notice continues in force, every shopkeeper who fails or neglects to close his shop in accordance therewith is liable to a penalty not exceeding five pounds.

Such Gazette notice may be revoked or altered by the Minister upon a similar requisition to that pursuant to which such notice was originally gazetted.

In cases where a shop and factory have a common entrance it will be sufficient for the provisions of this Act if such entrance be closed but not locked.