THURSDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 343, 18 February 1902, Page 3

THURSDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

A meeting of the Holiday Committee was held at the Borough Council Chambers at eleven o’clock yesterday morning, to consider an application from the Poverty Bay Turf Club that the shops should close at noon on Thursday afternoon next instead of one o’clock, on account of the races being held that day. Present: His Worship the Mayor (Mr .1. Townloy), Messrs Garrett, Friar, Adams, O’Meara, Kennedy, Ambridge, Pettie, and Robinson. The Mayor said that the Poverty Bay Racing Club purposed holding their summer meeting on Thursday and Friday, and the application was that the shops should close at noon on Thursday. Mr Ambridge pointed out that the banks were closing at eleven o'clock onThursday, evidently on account of the races.

■ Mr Garrett thought that if the Committee granted the request it would be a departure from their usual principle. If the request was acceded to in one case it would have to be in another. It was a stepping stone for some one else. Mr Friar said that there were very few business men who attended the races. It really made very little difference to the Club whether the shops closed at all. He was of course speaking for himself. The Mayor said he never attended the races, but the theory as he understood it was that if they closed at one o’clock those engaged in business who wished to go did not reach the racecourse until two o’clock. If they closed at twelve they could reach the ground by one o’clock. Mr Friar thought that two o’clock was quite early enough for many persons to get there. (Laughter.) Mr Pettie said that one reason why the shops were asked to close was that the races were held at Makaraka, which was some distance from town.

Mr Ambridge : And the railway is not running to the ground yet. A member: Nor likely to do so for some time. At this stage Mr O’Meara arrived, and on being informed of the business before the meeting replied that there was a stronger reason for closing on Thursday an hour earlier, and that was on account of the Waerenga-a-hika fete, which was also held that day. Upon receipt of this piece of information there was a chorus of approval, the Mayor remarking, “ that settles it; we can all go to the fete; my vote goes for it.” Mr Adams : I think we might close at eleven o’clock in the morning. Mr Ambridge supported the proposition to close at noon. Mr Friar proposed, as an amendment, that the Committee should not depart from their rule. They should make a firm stand and decline all applications of the kind that came before them. They had refused such requests in the past, and he was averse to making fish of one and flesh of another. Mr Garrett seconded the amendment. Mr Ambridge pointed out that the applications which the committee had refused were made for days other than the usual half-holiday. In the present case, in addition to the races, there was the church fete at Waerenga-a*hika, and he thought the committee might close at noon.

Mr Friar said that as far as his recollection served the committee had in the past refused similar applications. He contended that they should make a firm stand and not shift at all. Having laid down a rule the committee should not make any deviation from it. It made very little difference whether they closed at twelve or one o’clock, in fact he thought it would be better to close for the whole day, but he did not believe in the idea of making fish of one and flesh of another. Mr Ambridge said that similar applications bad been granted in the case of St. Patrick’s sports and the school, both gatherings being on the umal weekly half-holiday. It was in cases where the committee had been asked to change the day of the half-holiday that a refusal had been given. Mr Pettie said that all present had expressed the opinion that it meant little difference to business. Mr Friar thought the Committee were acting unwisely in granting the request.

It was easy to grant holidays, and very hard to deny them. They were going along quietly, and it was a pity to bring trouble on themselves by granting the request. The Committee would receive other applications of the kind in the future, and the parties interested would think it hard when their requests were declined. The amendment, on being put to the meeting, was lost on the voices. Mr Adams moved a further amendment that the shops should close at 11 o’clock, but this also was lost. The proposition agreeing to close at noon on Thursday was then carried, Mr Friar being the only dissentient.