POLLING DAY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 8, 21 September 1943, Page 5

POLLING DAY

STATUTORY HALF HOLIDAY

REMINDER TO EMPLOYERS

Section 128 of the Electoral Act 1927. provides as follows:—

(2) When the polling day at any election is other than that appointed as the weekly half-holiday under the Shops and Qlfices Act, lfl'2l-22, the provisions of. that Act relating to the Avee'kly half-dioliday shall be deemed to refer to the polling day in lieu of the clay so appointed, and it. shall not be necessary for any emploj'er to observe the day so appointed in the week in wlitich the polling clay falls. ('•'>) It shall not be necessary for any Factory to close during any working hours on the polling day, but the occupier of the factory shall, afford to cach of his employees a reasonable time of recording his vote, and no deduction shall be made from the wages of any such employee in respect of the time occupied in so recording his vote, provided, that, such time does not exceed one hour. (4) Every person who commits any offence against this section is liable to a fine of live pounds. Factory occupiers arc thus required merely to give their employees reasonable time to record their votes but not exceeding one working-hour, without deduction from their wages.

The occupicr of shops must, however, observe the usual -weekly lialfholiday in election week upon polling day, and in districts with Saturday late night, the late night may be observed on the Friday. In the case of those shops which are not required to .observe, a statutory closing-day viz. fishmongers, fruit-* erers, confectioners, florists, dairies, bakers, etc. (Vide section 21a of the Sliopes and Offices Act) the. assistants must be given their • half-holi-day on polling day.. •