THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 409, 19 January 1909, Page 9

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

V H ■■ : ;■:■■. ■' : f.; —Sevef&l of. tho;labour.viriidn secretaries arc collecting .signatures- to \to bp ■ presented toi'tho Gity Council-'asking 'tliat-.body -to -rulo in. favotir'j of..'tliouhivoraal'Saturday halF 7 hoHday.;.; The small', shoj)licopor,.V6n.'the bther.liana,:is.very:bertnin;.that.general Saturday'.afteruooh would-work to. liis :d6triment;.■ and ';-into.tho;hands"': of:- the ■!■ bigger firms, who;aro.noi ; ;e6''.dependent;on■ catcli trado. .'A; Many- of ■> the • r smaUe;r^; shopkqepers plead.'that; they?tffito^»?much?on. a Satiirday they -do 'all; tho)'rest'oFihe f week; and : are , quito ■■■ satißfied.-.tliat:.-.if; the.y. -''closetlvaip ': tli'e-:busi.riess"•.wwo.uldr-.not,"spread:;.i.t'Eclf .overvithe, ,6ther clays -as.has:been:suggcstecLi Kurther,' 'jfeis tliejOnOi?ay::iii;tlj^iveefclljat'ithoAvQrlj.. ing-maii;<vitn-. his;'\\;ife : and: Chiia"ro'n..:(arid'pos-■ siblyi;his.ACouein from tlio' : country)i , -has of gaining a.;little ; .:brin;litness-from the.'gailvr dressed'wmdows;'" and'in doih'g r iii r a"leisurely way the. little bit of ;s.hoppinfj they niiay have . to dp.--. The experiment; of ;closiiig in'.-.Siiitur-dfty.'.afternoon .was.:tried ift;rNelson,: but,'; as. .tho. council;has altered -its decision this year ,ahclgone back,to'-Wednesday; Ywhiclrmalces .it optional :o'n:.Avhich;'dayvishopkeepers..slioiiltl close), ;it:;isian in'dibatipn;-.: closing" \vis not'altegotlier.att''-unmi»b.d'-'!iless-'' ,ing. ■•.::■ .a- Nelsoii' 'tradesman.'tb'.iav ; irie'ii3. in; Wellington-throwo; i- :;'•:•;; ;■; -■'.'• : ;;;!;:"i- 'ani;iust : :dr6'pp'ing :ybu;a.;iirie to. I "let''■;"'.: ~', v yqu-know ; hmvv W e' have ■ fared'- herb \vith ; ,; the Saturday'rhalf-liolidayi,.l 'needhardly";' ■ vi say;it;ivas.."'"a,terrible^mistajiCTr-incpnveni- ! : ;:;.ent ..purchasers : and disastrous to tho;:: ■j ; .retailer..;'.lt : shut but: the: most profitable ':■'.'. /Jof been ' v . β-fpt'. ouri'drainage; ( works • ernployirig an, : ';■■' i'.--\ unysual largo;number of. .;.cxtfa : hands' ;v;at;good; wages,- and ;our Railway, exten-.. ; sion hvorks' ha'vpNliad-' such ! a l, ;■;-state'^ofothingßMini existence;; here -.•tliat.\V; ■;;-"many !'of; us ,could';not possibly, 'i- have '■'■■ ■■,■:S.■Sulle4^^ t^^&n 6h■•'':■^Yo■U'■'w^ll;■ : rernβmb.er..■l' : .'■ ;:told j'btt'when Lcalled on jou ibout.l2 '■:■. ■I; months ago. how.this/was l'orcod on,us, "'.■ .iiiiam'elyi'by a'Combinatipri: of semi-whole-;. .;.-"salo, wliolosalei: sporting j and: employees ; . . ;;coiribiiiedj;\andihoW;.they;sent in;"a re-■'•■"';• ; quisition'-tb: ourvcquncil , ' signed ; by ■ car-. ■ : ' penters, ;•'■■ bladcsmitlis;'.: v painters, ■■■'■ and -.;, V;semi-wholesale - and;>wholesal6,' ;and ' al-;'.-' .;,thou'gh' ■"; wo, '-w'ith'Vjjen'uinc::. retajl •' Big'na-" , ;vtures,;were, i only : 'a":f()w: : behind in liutiiber"; ■ ;,: in,our'requisitipii, yefcour cdiirieil, com- ' •■ ;poised.:'mpstly of Saturday;mon ; : decided '•' .:..iri'fayour"of-,Saturday;vand so ;it had.:to. ■: >Usuit: us,'"hji(l-;ohly;tho;busiriess.;.mon::'of .-'.-■ ; L .:Nelßon';kuow: how• .aisKutrpusly.Jit lias' ■;;.suited us.;; One rnau^oiily'to-day.^old.:nie'' ; -":^he;was ; a-butcher, : .and' could:a»d did : ;'-.<onen:..'on : a,Saturday .night 'all .the year—'•■■■'., ,-: that;Ph;'a: Saturday • when the: ton'ri"was ;' .open.foiv;busiuess;; : tlireevof...them were: : : : fully, employed■ serving: for two or;threo.', '■}■; hours as g0..; Now,-. ■' :on a Saturday;,'(he sliuts up AVcdncsday "\ ;;; i fdr.tho,half-day);abo«t 2.;0r 2!Sohe : shuts ~ .'.' up again.rand'o'pens abouj; 7. and serves. ■ perhaps ■ a vdozen .custom'ers'iiimself'dur-, '- ing ..the'eyeningi;; Our-teajrooms used to ':' '- ;do;d .good-thiiift;pn a Saturday, night.:. v.Npw-.sorne .of. them.doh'.t even open at •. all on alSaturday "night, as-it would not.•-..; ; ;.pay for. .'gas tconsumed:'•>, Our fruiterers, ■' '.;■ :■: althougli.they opoivand havoVtwo; late" ::; nights, are .also ■ heavy-'.-Josers' by the: ~' -.oharigo, .■ arid; any .:;hinn "doing;: :a ..easli, ,'trade-has;" had experience quite as' bad ■ 'as any. of.-tliOvabove. ■■Our best 'Friday's' ..;busi.ness—and there- would ...not' bo moro.. '.- : than., half-afdozen■.' ih the! .'year- at-.". the. -. outside-r-i3 .only, what -';>vpuld' have a .bad Saturday's trade.' You will, perhaps wonder why the. 'wholesale \ and : ' -. :semi-whblcsale;c6mhin6d against ;t,he re-; . ;• tail. ..The senii-\yholes-ile dobs.t\i'P trades .in the country/ . Ho docs a.retair..busi-: - ; ness, ;by ■ his : travellersjvtijiti :jf:. lid .-can !•., : .shut up the country peoplb : in the coun- •.; 'try by slnittin"' ;«p the town on the:day it suits,them best to'come :to''-lbv»fl. he. ;" can Aj'drk .his; point in,.that way,;and: ; then "the travellers have .also the coun- ',;• try stores, andtho change', has proved to V.thom ;a ■.veritable:." godsend;:-;;;!n some . ..cases' they have doubled : ■' . The wholesale man may. have"i reasoned: '.. ■■'The town man. imports his. goods and, . only sorts-up from, his Btpck. The coun.try store buys all his: stuff.-from -us,, so. wo can" help, him ;by shutting ; tip, the; ■ town.'.--Thoso who,wcnt round with the : requisition said,, 'Which day dp you want I for. the half-holiday?'.. They said j 'Saturday.., Then lip. says sign tho Satur.day petition. There, had Ixicu" some talk: . abqut..the -'universal "half-holiday, and -many of them were led .to believe it was ...to he for all either. Wednesday or Sat----,urday, and so wo went under, and have had what I hope no other city; will bo called upon to cu'diirc; a Satitrtlay lialf- ; holiday for; a year. . I airi; glad to be : able to say that we have altered things • this year. ;We held'a meeting last Wed- • ' nesday.;night,; andvdre.w up a iietition,' . and sent-it to every retail house in tho city, and the. result is that.our council, .;■ by .7 to 3 liave. rejected-the Saturday and given; us.back our' Wednesday hali'holtd'V >>:', ■-,:' ..-.; ; ■-;; .•■-■■ ;. ' , ,