PLEA FOR SATURDAY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2384, 13 February 1915, Page 8

PLEA FOR SATURDAY

THE SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY,

AUCKLAND EVIDENCE

'ON HALF-HOLIDAY QUESTION

BUSINESS IS DIVERTED

A few- facts having a -bearing on ti's lialf-holiday controversy were , supplied to a Dominion reporter yesterday by Mr. Robert Hannah, who has had experience of tho Wednesday half-holiday m Wellington, and the Saturday halfholiday in Auckland. ;

Mr. Hannah.referred first of all to a reported statement of Mr. R. Pearson at a meeting of the Saturday Halfholiday Association. Mr; Pearson on that occasion said that in his business that Friday night was- as "big" as Saturday night used to be; also that business waß spread more evenly over the various days of the week. "I have here a reply to that statement, signed by some seventy shopkeepers in KarangaJiape Road, Auckland, said Mr. Hannah. "The signatories to this document say this: ■ . ""We the undersigned have not found g.so with our business. Karangahape Koad, which was one of the busiest thoroughfares in Auckland, has suffered severely from the change. Friday's business is not to be compared with Saturday s'business in the past, and we do not find that . tho business has been spread more evenly over the other days 111 j9, wee k- Trade has been diverted, and the workingman robbed of the only opportunity ho had to shop In comfort. At tho present time there are fourteen empty shops in Karangahape Road. Before the Saturday half-holiday came into force it was a difficult matter to get' business premises. Anyone acquainted with this . business centre will know that in many instances rente have been reduced, which means depreciation in the' value of property, and our information leads us to; believe that this is due to a decline in trade, dating from the introduction of Saturday dosing. In fact,, in business circles, it is readily admitted in private, whatever may be 6tated in public, that, the move was a bad one for all concerned, shopkeepers and buyers alike.' Loss of Profits. "For my own part," said Mr. Hannah, "I can speak feelingly on the subject, pecause the takings at our Karangahape Road branch have been reduced by quite 25 per cent, by the introduction of Saturday closing. And our profits, I am sorry to say, have declined by £400 last year by comparison with the previous year. When Wednesday closing was the rule in Auckland, you could not find an unoccupied shop in the whole of Karangahape Road; To. day there are any number of shops un--occupied, in gooc£ positions. Some thirteen months ago 1 made an offer for a; property in' Karangahape Road, which : .was refused. To-day I could buy that property for 25 per cent, less'than I : offered. This is no isolated instance, I believe. Karangahapo Road corresponds exactly with Cuba Street in Wellington. In. Cuba Street we do a big Saturday, trade. In fact, in-our Cuba Street shop the receipts on Saturday are about as much as the, total for any. other four days in the week. '' A Fallaolous Argument.

"The reply of the Saturday half-holi-day advocates to those, of us who object to give up this Saturday trade is • always that'.the'-business must'be done on other days if the people cannot do it on Saturdays. That argument is absolutely fallacious. It has aeea prov-/ ed by statisticscollected that -about -r;

•sixty per cent, of the business of retailers is done with people who come away from their homes without ■ any intention of making purchases. They see goods displayed, and if they like' ail article it.very often happens that they buy it. ' This sort, of business is done much more freely, on Saturday than on: any other day in the week; Our late nighty if we have Saturday closing, will be Friday, but when a workingman goes home on Friday night ho won't dress in his best clothes, and go into town with his wife to make , purchases, when ho knows ho has to put on his working clothes on : Saturday morning again. Now, the working man and his wife and family-like to come out on Saturday afternoon and evening, and do their shopping. That is the only reason why the larger volume of business is done on Saturday.

Who Should Decide? "My . view generally of this halfholiday question is; that the retailers should bo allowed to decide for themselves oil what day they shall close. All that Parliament should do by enactmnt is. to protect the workers against being worked too. long hours. It is right that the law should insist upon all workers in shops having a half-holiday every, week. This'being assured, and also the hours being limited, employees cannot" be overlooked. So long'as that is so, 1 think the law should leave us alone. \Y«. find capital for the carrying on of ouf business, and . pay rent and wages, and surely we should he allowed to decide for ourselves whether we shall keep our shops open on the busiest day of the week. I am sure that the carrying of the Saturday half-holiday hero will not lx> in the interests of the employees. If trade declines the retailers must reduce expenses, and they are very likely todo it by reducing bauds. In Auckland we have kept all our hands up till' the present, but as I have told you wo have lost £400 of profits. . Of course we are not going to keep up our expenditure to its former level when our profits are reduced, and I am afraid we shall have to let some of our hands go. This is suio to happen, in my opinion, in numbers of houses here if we are forced to close on Saturday."

(To the Editor.) Sir,—-The Saturday half-holiday en* thusiasts are, according to the local news, making strenuous efforts to carry - their object. In Auckland a few days ago the small shopkeepers had a meeting, at-which they not only protested, hut were actually willing, ,fco shut up the "whole of Wednesday in order to restore the full day on Saturday. In Christchurch, the writer has heard from a reliablo source, the shopkeepers are talking also of restoring the Thursday half-holiday aud keoping open on Saturday.- The experience of the Auckland ivnd Christchurch people should be a' warning to Wellington, before wo commit ourselves to a-closed up City on Saturday night. It is. tho small man who will feel tho pinch, for tho Saturday 'is his best day of the week. To the big firms it makes little difference,' as most of them close on Saturday as it is. Customs die a hard death, and once the Saturday half-holiday is an accomplished fact people will kick themselves for being 6uch asses as to vote for it. If the Saturday closing had been a success in Auckland, it 6eems strango that the shopkeepers should want to revert to. it again. Trusting to hear other voices.on the subject, 1 am, etc., , aATUBDAV NIGHT.