THE WEEKLY HALF HOLIDAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 122, 27 April 1925, Page 5

THE WEEKLY HALF HOLIDAY.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Those who arr agitating for a Snturday half-holiday overlook or purposely ignore the fact that Saturday as a shopping day suits tho great majority of the people of this district. This is evidenced by the great number of peoplo who do their shopping on that day. And after all they are tho people who should be first considered. It is idle to quote other towns. We know the day which is most popular with the public in Palmerston North. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin are in a different position. They do not depend on the country for support to anything like the same extent that we do. Wo are the shopping centre of a groat agricultur ll district and fully fifty per cent, of our clients come from the country, and Saturday is tho only day in tho week that the parents can bring their children into town. Another reason why we should not alter the half holiday is that the stock sales are held in Feilding on Fridays and it will be a serious blow to Palmerston trade if our principal shopping day is killed and our country clients are diverted to Feilding. Tho experience business people had two years ago when the half holiday was arbitrarily changed to Saturday by the Borough Council has not been forgotten by the retailers. Tho eflect on trude was disastrous and in consequence fully 90 per cent, of the retailers are strongly opposed to any change. In my cwn business the Saturday takings are over fifty per cent, ahead of any other day, and from what I know of other businesses this is a common experience. 1 o ask us to close on a Saturday in view of this fact is rather absurd. in conclusion there is one feature of this agitation which is very important. Th? principal advocates for a change are assistants and not principals. They are very excellent men, but have no responsibility resting on them, therefore their advocacy is not entitled to the consideration due to the opinions of the retailers. —I am, etc., G. H. BENNETT, Palmerston North, April 24, 1923. (To the Editor.) Sir, —As an employer of labour in Palmerston North and a commercial man who has of necessity to travel extensively, I shall vote for Saturday half-holiday for the undermentioned reasons: —(1) Because the leading and most prosperous towns in New Zealand and in other parts of the Empire have long since admitted its manifold advantages ; (2) because 1 believe in an unbroken shopping week from Monday morning until late on Friday night; (3) because I believe in the economic advantages to be derived from such an unbroken week; (4) because I believe the observance of Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday as the statutory half-holidays observed in various parts of this country to be wasteful in the extreme, and that ultimately the public have to pay for all waste of which the above constitutes no small part : (5) because the adoption of Saturday half holiday throughout New Zealand will permit of hundreds of commercial travellers returning to their homes for the week-end —a privilege at present denied many; (6) because facts prove conclusively the observance of the Saturday half-holiday inflicts no hardship either upon the shopkeepers or upon the general public; and lastly (7) because I enjoy myself, a privilege I have no wish to withhold from others. —Yours, etc., „ , RUGBEA. Palmerston North, April 25.