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Hokitika Guardian, 24 July 1929, Page 4

The Minister for Labor is to bring before Parliament, a motion that a universal Saturday half-holiday shall, be recognised everywhere for shops and shop assistants. The Prime Minister has promised that Parliament shall have a chance of discussing the question. This is a matter,, which should receive the serious arid immediate attention of those districts which have dot'ided against' the Saturday ihaltholiday. Local conditions have a very important bearing on the question. In many towns and districts it has proved to suit convenience of the workers and the interests of thei shopkeeper that some other day than Saturday should be kept as the weekly halfholiday. It is certainly a step in the wrong direction that Parliament should ignore these local conditions and make the Saturday half-holiday compulsory. Some districts would suffer very seriously by the compulsory change. No doubt such districts will make representation through their Parliamentary representatives. But the boundaries of the electoral districts may well include more than one municipal district and the onus on the member to decide which portion of his electorate lie will ignore, and ./winch he will favor on a question subh as this is an unfair one to impose. As a matter of fact the question is not one for Parliament to deal with at all—it is purely a matter of local convenience. The weekly half-holiday has been made compulsory, and that is as far as Parliament should go. The-decision as to which day the half-holiday should be held on should continue to be settled locally in accordance with local conditions.