THE HALF HOLIDAY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5375, 16 January 1929, Page 2

THE HALF HOLIDAY.

CHANGE IN PAEROA WANTED.

PETITION TO BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The following, petition, which has been largely signed by business men of the town, has been handed in to the Paeroa Borough Council “We, the undersigned business, men of Paeroa, hereby petition your council to make the half-holiday during the week, 'and. to have the long, day on Saturday for the following reasons :

“Saturday is the; natural shopping day for the farmer and, worker. “Wages are usually paid out on a Saturday. “Labourers and other wage-earners, being unable to purchase their goods during the Saturday afternoon or evening in Paeroa at present, when they usually have time off, go to nearby towns to do their shopping.

“We are creditably inforpied by business men in Te Aroha that they will continue to keep open on Saturday. By the fact of their being open on Saturday theynow draw trade that would go to Matamata, Morrinsville, Paeroa, and other centre?. As. a counter-move Matainata and Morrinsville are petitioning their respective bodies to change the half-holiday from Saturday to Wednesday. Thames, which is a competitor for the Hauraki Plains trade, has decided to make Saturday the shopping day and Wednesday the half-h'olidlay. “Many other reasons and facts could be brought out, but we consider that sufficient has been said to make it quite clear that Paeroa should have its shopping day on Saturday.” CHANGE AT MATAMATA. BOARD ADOPTS THURSDAY Ever since, the formation of. the Matamata town district Matainata has observed Saturday afternoon as the statutory half-holiday. The Town Board received two petitions from the business people, one containing 40 signatures in favour of Thursday as the half-holiday and the other containing 28 signatures in. favour of the retention of Saturday. Acting according to the majority mandate given, the board fixgd the holiday for Thursday. POSITION AT THAMES. DIVISION OF OPINION. A petition to retain the Saturday half-holiday at Thames is being well supported. It will be presented at the next meeting of. the Borough Council. It is understood that the business men wilj present a counterpetition urging a mid-week halfholiday. They argue that .the time has arrived for Thames to “choose between sport and business,” owing to the competition from other towns for the trade of it’s, country shoppers, who are better suited by the opening of retailers’ premises on Saturdays.