ANNIVERSARY DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 713, 12 January 1910, Page 6

ANNIVERSARY DAY.

- A PKOBLEM FOE TBADESMEN. The; .fact.; that -..the. .Wellington' Anni- ■ l;'( January22)will ''.'fall. this is. likely.. to'cause , some difficulty;''iii',Tegard .to .the closing' bf business'.* houses 'for the holiday.'. . -'.v • Mr. H. 11. Seaton, President of the Association, "Wld .a Doarsibs ;repdrler'''iitat'. Monday , ifould be the most acceptable day. for tho retailers, though :thG'big :.wMchVclose : ;;Overy. .Saturday afternoon, would probably, prefor. to have tha holiday -tho Saturday'. - Practirally'"all_'t3ie j small 1 eUop'lkeewa^''wbuld'"be?stf6'i©y'against: closing' on Saturday. He had. received information; that; sliopii&pers ■ atf v.Masterton'.. : 'and. Cartertth'.'tad' Idecided to observe i the Monday as Anniversary Day, also 'th'at the . ;.people:, wisLed' v to . hold their regatta on the '.Monday,' when thcywould Itapa fora'largocontmgeiit of Wellington visitors. It. seemed, to ?him that Monday would . be the most .satisfactory, day ■ for' the majority of those conccrned. - Mr. Seaton added that,. Anniversary Day not tang ia .'statutory, holiday, -it was optional vwitliv business people, to close or not, exceptin leases where : tlitn- were botmd''by awards* to give tbsir employees the' 1 hulidayV * Unless something was done to bring- about ■ a-, general agreement, to close on Monday, he/, thought the / holiday., -would be ob;sem&;;;in -■■'a and: .partial manner.:; He added . .that,* Arauvcrsary Day had : not' fallen' on' a*. Saturday ''for' about nina' ; .'years,* aiid it was scarcely worth . while; to inqnirb: .^yliat l was **.* doneon the. last' occasion, as'* the conditions of. business, liad undergone ' so >: ■ much change in,* the interval.. ' -V;'-:

.. Oil inquiring in other quarters, the reporter. learnt' that Anniversary Day- is a holiday : under tho grocers', • butchers', and drivers', awards, but, in the case of

'.the' '.batcherssan'd...;dnvers - it.-; is/provided -that. if. some date other than the 22nd. lsgenerallyobserved as Anniversary; Day, •the giving 'of a 'holiday on sueli dato .f-aall bo regarded:f as joVmpliance/.with . the ; award.'|' The view / was expressed 'that ;unless tho. Mayor. requested .tradesmen lo' closeon ' Monday; ■ the, Saturday, would be anniversary- holiday in the city. Factory hands would get. : th"e; Saturday ..afternooii 1 off in the. regular course," and there wero a .good many; 6mployees..nnder'lthe..i i a<rtorics .Actconnected with tlie ;' drapery establishments. ' In these'instances, ■ Saturday ' would, doubtless' be preferred. 1 ' 'Ilie . question whether.-. shops /closing for the.;anniversary ; holiday on . Monday, would, .also - require- to;.close 'on tho following Wednesday .afternoon - (the,. statutory. half-holiday)'.' was also raised/ The legal position' seems.' to/ bo ; that closing on Monday would ;not exempt them' from /closing;on .Wednesday;:after-, 'rioon, unless tho Mayor publicly requested that the holiday' be/ kept/ onf Monday,• but • in;. any.,-, case';itris.'. not Vanticipated .that .the Labour Department would prose'cute tradesmen' who . closed- on the Monday; and not on the Wednesday afternoon. .Possibly ;'a/similar ■ latitude might be'. allowed in ; -the. case- of .tho . Grocers' Award.