THE HALF HOLIDAY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5224, 9 January 1928, Page 2

THE HALF HOLIDAY.

POSITION OF PAERDA.

CHANGE OF DAY MOOTED. On January 19 the Paeroa Borough Council wlil be called upon to decide by resolution what is to be the statutory half-holiday for Paeroa during the ensuing twelve months, and the council, has already intimated its desire to receive a lead from the people in arriving at a decision. Mainly with the idea of making an experiment to show whether or not opening the shops all day Saturday and closing on some other day, say, Wednesday afternoon, would be beneficial to the trade of Paeroa, it is understood that several business people are disposed towards a change. The Shops and Offices Act contains the following with reference to the procedure : —

“(1) Except as hereinafter specially provided, all shops, whether in a separate or combined district, shall be. closed on one working-day of each week at the hour of one ojclock in the afternoon for the remainder of that day.

“(2) Such day (hereinafter called the statutory closing day) shall in every case be one and the same working day in tlie same separate or combined district :

“Provided that in the event of any day other than Saturday being appointed as the statutory eldsing day, than any occupier shall be entitled, to close his shop on Saturday in lieu thereof on giving to the inspector notice in writing of his desire so to do. “The statutory closing day in each separate district shall be. appointed in manner following :— “A special meeting of the local authority of the separate district shall be held in the month of January in each year, of which notice by advertisement shall be given at least seven days before the, day of meeting. “(b) At such meeting the local authority shall by resolution decide what working-day in the week shall be the statutory closing day.

“(c) The mayor or chairman shall forthwith notify to the Minister the, day so decided on, and the Minister shall thereupon, by notice in the Gazette as soon as pract’cable thereafter, appoint that day to be thq statutory closing day in the separate district.** Should a representative deputation wait on-' the council at the next meeting and advocate a change, the> council may have to give, effect accordingly. To take a poll on the quest’on, it would be necessary to obtain the signatures of ten per cent, of the electors. It will be noted that if any day but Saturday is decided upon, each shopkeeper can please himself or herself and can close on Saturday if it is preferred, but where Saturday is. thq statutory half-holiday there is no option. In such a question the views of the farming community might be obtained and taken into careful consideration before, arriving at a decision. The matter is one that comes well within the province of the Chamber of Commerce, and in the interests of all concerned it is hoped that the Borough Council will be assisted in arriving at a satisfactory conclusion.