UNIVERSAL HALF HOLIDAY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4464, 12 June 1930, Page 2

UNIVERSAL HALF HOLIDAY.

ECO-X<).MIST .FA YOURS SATURDAY. “From the ciliciency point of view purely, it seems to me preferable to have a continuous week oi business with the holiday at the end,” commented Air. D. 0. Williams, economist at Massey Agricultural College, when discussing tlic proposal that Palmerston North should support a universal Saturday half-holida v.

Mr. Williams mm) he was able to toresce staffs belter organised, espe.dally for the larger firms. f urther, it was better tor employer as well as employee to have a ■'pell from business at the end rather than at the middle of the week, when it was almost useless. Nobody should be tired after a couple of days' work and at present in Palmerston North people were getting a holiday when they really didn't need it. The survival of the Wednesday half-holiday was more or less an anachronism, and it was for those who supported it to justify themselves.

A Times reporter endeavoured to trace the history of the mid-week half-holiday, but was unable to gather any information as to why that day had been selected by many towns. When the Shops and Offices Ad came into force in 1894, it gave the people of each town and district the privilege of selecting their own half-holiday, the choice falling on Wednesday, Thursday ami Saturday, but mostly the voting was for the mid-week. Since then, however, there lias been a gradual tendency to change to the Saturday, tirsl one town and then another making the alteration, with l he surrounding counties following their decisions.

Air. J. Lowden, of the Labour Department, Palmerston North, ventured the opinion that the issue was being forced by popular opinion and that a universal Saturday half-lmliday was hound to come.