LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2431, 9 April 1915, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY. Sir,—lt is with groat diffidence that I venture to request tho privilege of using your valuable medium as a means of laying before the burgesses of Wellington some facts in refutation of thu statements made at a meeting oi twenty-live people at Godber's rooms,' Cuba Street, on Wednesday night last. It may seem like exaggerating tlis importance of such a small meeting to take any notice of what occurred there, but suoh wide publicity has been given in the Press to the speeches made and resolutions carried that it might appear to the casual reader that it was a truly representative meeting of people interested in the subject of the Saturday balf-holiday, I beg to point out, Sir, that if the success of those opposed to the Saturday half-holiday is to be gauged by the attendance at the meeting, the fact that after most strenuous recruiting the convenors were only successful in securing the attendance of 25 ,out of 1641 shopkeepers in the city of Wellington should not cause the public of Wellington ■to think that the prospect of Saturday half-holiday appears other, than pleasant to the great bulk of the trading community. It is most interesting to note that in order to bring their fighting strength >ip to twenty-five they had to requisition the services of certain gentlemen who since their businesses will not be affected by the result of the poll, might have been ■ regarded as being neutral, and hence free from any interference by either of the belligerents. • A most illuminating remark concludes the chairman's quotation from a letter from Mr. A. Moore, of Auckland: "You should strain .every nerve to prevent it becoming law, as it would be much harder for you to recover the mid-week half-holiday afterwards." It appears to me, Mr. Editor, in this statement the whole position •is given away by Mr. Seaton and his friend Mr. Moore, for it would appear equivalent to saying "Don't let them have Saturday half holiday, or they will never give it up when once they have had the taste of it u —an expression of opinion which even in my most wildly-sanguine moments I never expected to receive from such a source. Mr. Moore has stated in his letter that 500 Auckland shopkeepers signed a requisition to re-open on Saturdays, seeing that according to the Labour Department's report of 1913 (page 86) there are no fewer than 2036 shopkeepers in Auckland city, one is tempted to inquire whether the other 1536 are satisfied_ with the Saturday half-holiday. It is painful to reflect that the gentleman who presided over the notable gathering should have made such an extraordinary statement that "If the present proposal .wi, carried all shops would have to close.for tho lialf-holiday on Saturday Christmas Eve 1916." I take the liberty of recommending Mr. Seaton to refresh his memory, of the provisions of the Shops and Offices Act prior to the next meeting, so that he may be saved from any similar error. Mr. Lancelot George embodied in his motion the following remarks: '.'We deem it advisable to petition the Government for an immediate repeal of the Act, thus placing the business of the country beyond tile assaults of agita-tors'and-people who have little direct interest in : -trade" ; we would request Mr. George, before he attempts to stigI matise those who having noted tho success of tho Saturday half-holiday in Sydney and Brisbane,, the State of Victoria, and Auckland and Christohurch, desire to see Wellington, the Empire City, no longer rank among the unprogressivo cities of Australasia, as agitators, he will inquire as to the personnel of the large body of shopkeepers, the great army of shop-assistants, the 11.077 electors who signed the petition asking for a poll, and consider whether he is justified in describing them as agitators. Thanking you for your extending the courtesy of your space td the Saturday Half-Holiday Association. —I am, etc., A. J. HUMPHREYS.