ON WHICH DAY?

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1710, 29 March 1913, Page 5

ON WHICH DAY?

THE WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY. PETITION FOR A POLL', SIGNED BY 5,755 PERSONS. , There is' lo bo another .battle on- the part of olio section'; of -the community at least for a universal half-holiday. There * was a.fight two years ago when tlio issue wont against tlio Saturday lialf-h'oliday people, but they, iibpo to do abetter this time. .. Yesterday afternoon Messrs. M. J. Reardon, ]•}. JCarey, \V. S. lfodford,. and li. Keardon waited oil. his Worship tho ■ Mayor and deposited, with-him a petition oil which wore. inscribed tlio names bl 5755 .citizens of ■.Wellington.,. In presenting tlio petition, Mr. Reardon said , that ho had the honour to present the,/ petition asking hiin to exorcise the riglite and privilege sgiveii thorn by law by taking a poll on the question of the Satiir■day half-holiday! ' The aiiovcinbnt, he stated, was ono that was world-wide, and was in partial • operation in'o. good many countries,' 1 including certain of, tho Australian State. Tho. effort niado to get a Universal' half-holiday two years ago had ■ not been successful, but they hoped thai on this occasion success would be attaftied)•*.

Not so , Many Signatures'.' • Ho liad been informed. by 1 tho Town Clerk that the imnilier of signatures oV itained to the netition of two;vears ago ■was ' 8061, ' butthey' hid felt that' 5755 names were sufficient to cdmply with the requirements of the law, and quite enough to.servo their puroose. . It must not bo takeit that because there were fewof lrtunes to this year's petition that the interest in the Saturday half-holiday had gone.off—the.y.-had merely, secured enough signatures to satisfy the requirements of tho law. They had dono their work by securing enough names sufficient to secure a poll, and they now left it to tho cit>>/ons to do their ahnre on election day. .

" "Change the Pay-Day. Olio point lie 1 was particularly keen .upon was that small 'tradesmen maintained that tlieir business was greater ' 911 Saturday than on the other iivo days of the week. This was-, simply beiauslo inost of itho wage, payiiiehts in 'Wolli'ngton were : made on a! Friday' or Saturday. Ho felt that tho Saturday halfHoliday was going to be carried on this occasion. Tho large wage-paying corporations should consider the question ot changing the pay-day. Take the Harboutv"Bo'ai'tWt closed 'the ■ Week on tho Tuesday, ahd paid on tho following Fri« day. Ke thought that it -could just as easily closo tho week on tho; .Saturday, aiidipay out tho; following Monday or Tuesday. ■ That would lidvo the effect of; distributing (lie spending of wages'during the week; instead 'of on Saturdays. ' It tllb employers with big wage-sheets would toko thkt idea into consideration, the adjustment that "would follow would be tin advantage to the whole citj\ The Siiti urday half-holiday was not going to ftiean ya loss to the Saturday trader. If";ho could,,, not, get ail, article ho wanted on Saturday ho would purchase it during the week. He suggested that- tho City Corporation Should .pay' w ; ages 'eat'lier in tlio week than Friday. On behalf of tlio citjy ho.aslrol ; that a poll be taken,' and that the. facilities be such that there will bo no dissatisfaction in connection \vith tlio arhliig'eineuts. , ' ;. n ,i ,| Not a PaKy CLucstion. ' , ;Mr. 13. j. Carey said, thai lie could easily Recount for the: differbneo in tho number of signatures to tho. petition, two.y£ars 'ago.they had paid a man lo do tlio job; and .this year they had done it thethselves. -Ho would like it understood that tliis Saturday liulf-lvoliday movetiieht .was not a party question— there was iio party busiiibss in it, liud they .represented no party in it, for, as a matter of fact, most; of tlio people they were. connected with got thb Saturday half-holiday now. In every Australian capital tho Saturday half-holiday was .now made fcoinpulJory by law, and they ■thought the saiile Would bo thb ease hero when tlio prejudice* and conservatism of the people could lie oyeroome,. and the .•very, (iboplb ii'llo htiw bpposed the movement'Svbiild.'Sfty in thb future tliat the Trades Council built better, tliaii they kne.w. He was satisfied, that on tliis occasion thb publio would decide for Saturday; bltt exprfcssbd thb liopo' that, itt connection with the poll; a distinguishable ballot paper and separate boxes would be provided. Mr. W. S. Bedford Stated that tlib fcoftgoods pboplb bf Auckland.had voluntarily ' decided,'On a Satiltday h.flf-holiday.

~ . ... Votlhg Futilities. ■ The Mayor said it iibt his business to enter into any distitwsioii on tho mttt-. tor, but simiily to carry out/tho law, and' seb that it is faithfully giveii effect to. -Ho pointed out tliilt tho willies lUidto bb a tenth of those on tho roll of the eoinbiticd district, which iriclildbd Miraiiitir, Karori, Johnsonvillb,, nitd. Eiistbolniio;: Tho main toll' wbtild be l'Wuly bri Tiieiiday next,'but,tliefo w'tis■soliie coiifusion , ' respecting thirtlbsilig tif the polls in tho attached,districts; Uiei'e\ bfeiug a different time fixjd for borbuglis bf ovst and nii-. der 5000.'.electors. Persbiially holiad'nb' doubt that 'the 5700 names were considerably in-excess of, the number that would be required.', lie estimated- iliat the- number of- voters ill tho combined district was between 35,000 and ' 40.000; so that 4000 naines would be'eiibiißh to ensure a poll:. Ho agreed with 'Mr. Carey that, tor.ougli councils should not liavb to do with \tlie question at all. Ho had been glad to licar him say that it wtis not a parly question, but one which coucetnbd the . public generally. With-regard' to fa'cili-' ties for. voting, ho had alteady ooiisulted with .Mr. .Ames, tho! Returning Ollicfrr, wlio was.making Special provision for tlio poll ' —" ' Mr. Carey:-l'lie'y always say lhat! Recognising that as electors had to elect'' 'a' Mayor,"City Coimoil, liarbbur Board, Charitablb Aid Hoard, null tlio Saturday holiday poll-had to bo taken,.very special provisions had to bo made. It dul not rest with hliii how a poll shouldbo .taken; thotigli some people invested him witlV:all' sorts bf pdwfcrn. - There were certain statutory duties for tho Town Cl&klftiflCßeMfjtl"!:'Officer to carry out, but as chitef'magistrate of the city ho wbuldnfoo that tho fullest facilities wero provided -forftp .elisors- to express their dbsire at llio 'poll.- 'The provision of aspecial lxillot paper and boxes would, ho thought; cominftid itself.as t-oasoimble to tlio Returning Officer, arid he had no fear but that it-would be carried out, Ho hadn't a Shadbw of doubt (hat Mr.'; Anies was'attending tb' his duties'faithfully. After thanking the Mayor,' the deputation withdrew," :