THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2288, 23 November 1889, Page 3

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

TO •3JHS KUITOB. Sib— "Will yon kindly allow a little space lot an outrider's view ojf tbe balf-holidaj movement. In dteougilng the .juestion aa to which day ihoald be held a holiday, one Aibbarton gentleman Raid nil In the tjpwn Wi • dependent on tbe farmers, fht •xtot words I forget, bat I think this was All meaning. In so far as that everyone <muit live on the produce of the soil, this ■!* true, but the meob»n(o and artfcin %elag essential to the well-being of the farmer, In any scheme for ths bettering of labor, thb ought to be held iv view. Another gentleman asked why could not the country peopla help the town tc keep the holiday.* So aak II Whj ■boald not tbe farme*« and Iheli 4iboarejs hi?e t hftlf-hoy?»y too:

k«ep n? it ix the same dt>y »s the towns ? Wher i wo..!d be the neoasa'.ty for keeping 1 opeu ahopa tb"". '•'"■' •^ r ° no Dom&inb aittohed to lm- >. • ...Jflblpß, whaio youcg mim mfgat liaa pleasure iv maniy sports, or whoro music and aanolog might find a place, doing away witb 'he ojmost general ideo that oachoan do enjoyed only et night 1 Do wo not eeo th»t wu»t ia good foe labour lv a clam, euchas Rood pay short hours, etc, m good for it m the whole, and • as labor emp'oys labour, let tho country : t-oat for a ooy, nud so may tbo town. O^n it bo poeoiblo tho country ostunot . litl.rd this day 1 As In towns the oamo \ volume of bauineaa may be donß In fearer [ b juro, a , by tho oousecvod v Leung ih of ' .man and boast, m»y moro labor be done ! /m fewer hoars, and our land mig'it be known as '• Morde New Zavland." Yot do 1 uot tbiuk a ooDßfnsau of opiui.<u , will over bring thla about ; but aa m aortaln tradcu hw fixes the hours ni , lubor and glvos a hilf-holiday to aom ,bo . to law do 1 look for tho carrying oui ot this measure. And, while wlch ng my follow-woikers iv town every buco^bb, I would say lut labor both m town and ' country combine, petition (he S'.ste as a guardian to give tffeot to its reqnest, and the thing may bo done. Hoping thit abler brains and abler pens thau mlue ' will think over and dlaoußß this matter, — I am, etc., One of thk Trasses.