THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 440, 24 February 1909, Page 4

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

SHOPKEEPERS OPPOSE, SATURDAY,

A MATTER OP :"I<IFE OR DEATH."

• A meeting of<the.: Shopkeepers' Association : was held .yesterday afternoon, to. devise steps •to oppose the, movement for Saturday .dosing. Mr. H. H. Seaton presided over, a meeting'of a dozen members. ■

. , Tho chairman emphasised the. imporfouice of putting, the issue to the public at the iortn.coming poll in a manner which would not be, : misunderstood. - The: ordinary working .classes,' {representing..nine-tenths■ 'of the community,ifound, Saturday, the most! day for Chopping, and many country'people could not .come into town on any other day., If the issue ivero put: "Are you in favour of /a-'.uniform-half-holiday ?" many people' would: vote in that .direction,'but if the question were: "Are^you in of shops, closing on Saturday-after-noons?" there would be much less , Support for the .proposal. ■ There was no .doubt, that a large number .of shop, assistants, who were not very far-seeing, were in ...favour . of : clos-' . ing on baturday, as the most suitable day for them. He understood that :the Trades' and .Labour .Council had obtained .sufficient signatures to necessitate. a.'poll on .the subject. -Compulsory' Saturday : closing had been tried in Perth, Nelson, Dunedin, and, other towiio, iiiiu liad always failed. If Saturday closing were carried. at .a poll, they would have to put up ' with the system for two years, commencing from' next: June. If they could not' prevent." the poll from lioing taken, they should educate the, public on ; the subject, otherwise the .compulsory -Saturday.Holiday-.might',be. enforced by the bare majority of a very: few ; voters.. :. ,'v Mr.;H; I?.,Allen, secretary, of the'association,.' urged/that l Saturday was. tho day that 'paid , the rent. H compulsory.: closing on. that day were enforced, he,liadno .doubt, that some of the. small shopkeepers would go to the wall. - ; : : 'The:ohairmah stated that hardly any . shopkeepers had. signed the requisition,tor'Sntur.-luv closing, though : a number of 6hop assistants had done so'.. There were-1100 in Wellington,, of whom only 50 closed on Saturday. The danger was that the general'public would' sign anything if they were asked. If the Wednesday half-holiday .were continued, that would not prevent those people who desired to do so. closing, their shops on : Saturday instead, but if Saturday were selected, that day would become compulsory.;. ■ Sir. Millington; .thought' that shopkeepers should set out to influence all their customers against' the proposal' to close;' on Saturdays. : He . emphasised the interest of landlords. in the question. Owners of shops would 'not \vant to support a proposal which-might cause : a good many shops to become empty. , A discussion took place on advertising and other . courses to. be followed .'in- case 'the requisition for a poll should be found to be valid. > Mr. Quinton said that shop: assistants did not look sufficiently far ahead to consider that : if: they got the. Saturday holiday, they would probably "get'the sack" soon afterwards, owing to the effect on business.: .He moved that'largo posters be obtained for display in the shop windows to .warn the public, against voting for the holiday-on Saturday. : Tho motion was duly seconded and;carried. : Mr. S, G. Ross suggested that a public meeting. should; be . called; at which other leading shopkeepers could put forth , their arguments. . Mr. Quinton. said that the question was one of life or . death to a large number of shopkeepers;: and -they, should. not object' to displaying posters. Mr. Allen said that; in Nelson' the. shop-' keepers, had given up as useless tlie attempt to form a Saturday night'on Friday, and had closed their shops early. The Gas Company was thus affected by "the question. ' The chairman said, ho did not expect that the association would receive much support from the shopkeepers of Lambton Quay, who wero largely (indifferent- on the .subject. Mr. Allen thoueht'that the Lnmbton : Quay; shopkeepers should co-operate with the'association in opposing tho present law, which vests the decision _of the half-holiday in the public, instead of in the shopkeepers. . Tho following 6ub-committec. was appointed •to take; further steps in the matter:—Messrs. •Boss, Quinton, Patrick, Queree, and the chairman. . ■•-. " . v;