PRESENTING A PETITION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1083, 23 March 1911, Page 5

PRESENTING A PETITION.

THE HALF-HOLIDAY. I . The half-holiday petition which has for some time been prominently before the public has now attained imposing bulk and bears 7169 signatures. Yesterday it . was presented to tho Mayor (Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P.) by Mr. W. T. Young (president) and other -members.; of the.lofal Trades 'and Labour Council. " Mr. Young said that when the petition was compared with tho electoral roll some names would.,probably have, to be struck off. Tte Trades Council 'estimated that, 169 names, might bo lost in this way . which would leave the petition bearing a total number of 7009. .As the Trades Council had been responsible for the initiation of the petition the speaker asked th»it it should be permitted to have scrutineers present when the names were being checked. Concluding, Mr. Young oppressed a hope that the result of the poll would be a magnificent victory for Saturday. Mr. E. J. Carey, who. spoke in similar vein, contended that legislation should bo passed making the Saturday half-holi-day compulsory in the four centres. In receiving the petition the Mayor remarked that a lot of ,work must have ibeen entailed in bringing it to its present proportions. Tho municipal roll now carried 26,489 names, and applications were coming in at the rate of 80 per day. The arguments that had been advanced in favour of taking a poll were very good ones. As to tho method of voting he personally favoured the plan of striking out the names of the days rejected,: though a system had grown up of making a mark opposite the name favoured. He could not promise that separate ballot-boxes-would be provided, but as the ballot papers used in, the different polls would be each of a distinctive - colour the using of one box would not delay mutters. Tho request that Trades Council scrutineers should be permitted to overlook tho checking of the petition could not be granted, but it- would be provided / with a list of the signatures rejected. The Mayor endorsed the suggestion that legislation should bo passed appointing a compulsory half-holiday for the four centres. In reply to a question Mr. Wilford stated that 12 o'clock on Saturday would be the final hour for the acceptance of wy further signatures to the petition.