WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 123, 28 April 1925, Page 5

WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —A great many people seem to think that tho move for the week-end holiday is for tho benefit of shop assistants only, but such is not the case. A great many employers anxious to give the best, service possible will welcome the change with open arms. From our point of view, the week-end holiday will mean tho bringing into line of tho whole of our employees. At present our milliners, dressmakers, upholsterers and upholstoresses, coming under the Factories Act, must observe Saturday holiday. Air. unbroken week for shopping will mean spreading business equally over the week. At present only 5 per cent, of our trade is done on Wednesday morning (an absolutely wasted day). With a staff of over one hundred it is an economic waste to have them only partially employed on four days of tho week and busy on two days only (it’s very like having a big feed ono day and starving for the rest of the week), whereas during tho eight weeks that tho whole town observed Saturday closing 18 per cent, of our business was done on Wednesdays and 12 per cent, on Saturday mornings, showing 30 per cent, of our total business, exactly the same percentage as we do now on these two clays, enabling us to give better servico and more attention and consideration to our clients.

The greatest factor in bringing about this result is the almost complete evolution of transit, the motor-car having brightened the lives and relieved those living out of town of the slow and tedious journeys over rough roads to their shopping centres. Undoubtedly our out-of-town friends with their motor cars, telephones, electric light, charabancs, transport, news services and postal facilities are living in a paradise compared with a few years ago. Of this I am fully convinced — that Palinorston is destined to take a great part in the commerce of this island, and should not be kept back by the retention of an old custom, but follow the progressive towns such as Hamilton, Auckland, Wanganui and 35 others. It, is estimated that already over throequarters of New Zealand’s population have their holiday nfter their week’s work is done, which is surely the endorsement of tho success of an unbroken shopping week.

Years ago I was a supporter of the mid-week break, considering a rest after two hard days’ work was necessary, but altered conditions have changed my opinion.—Yours truly, L. H. COLLINSON, Of Gollinson and Cunninghame, Ltd.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I am sure that Air G. 11. Bennett really believes that Palmerston’s trade would suffer by tho adoption of the weekend holiday, but I would remind him that the weight, of evidence is all against this conclusion. Your correspondent is using the identical arguments framed years ugo in the larger centres, except that they wanted to cater on Saturday afternoons also for the thousands of artisans and factory workers, in addition to the country customers. Alore recently the smaller towns, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Napier, etc., felt that no matter what the four centres did tho Saturday would not fit their needs, und they spent hard cash in hundreds to fight the pnoposal. To-day business men in these towns admit frankly that they made a mistake. At the recent Drapers’ Conference Dannevirke delegates applied for advice us how best to fight tho Saturday half-holiday poll. New Plymouth replied: “Wo rely almost, entirely upon tho funner for our trade—don't worry, Saturday closing is all right.” It is not true to even suggest that., say, Christchurch is not largely dependent upon the country trade. The trade of the “City of the Plains” would bo seriously crippled without it. Auckland itself lias built up the largest Fanners’ Union trading concern in the Dominion, und apart from the holiday question, too. Palmerston is now the 7th lurgost town in tho Dominion, and the question to-morrow is: are wo going to follow tho lead of over 30 important towns in the matter of holiday, and settle this really undesirable controversy, or have it recur again and again at futures elections 'l Palmerston must coinfc into line sooner or later. Saturday closing as a paying proposition lias passed the experimental stage years ago, and from u business and economic standpoint is a sound proposition. I tlo not suggest that tac public will adjust themselves to t,ie changed hours immediately, or that retailers will take as much before 1 p.m. on Saturday as they did previously with the full dav, hut the evidence that returns in tho long run do not suffer is so convincing that if Air G. H. Bennett is short of a single threepenny piece at the end of a year’s trading under the Saturday closing proposal, I will willingly give a personal donation of 10 guineas to the All Saints’ Children’s Home. Owing to the prevailing slump conditions, Palmerston North clicl not hu\e the opportunity of properly trying out Saturday closing two years ago, and even under those udverse conditions many businesses did their average weekly return In conclusion, I have the authority of my firm in stating that we are not specially interested in the issue, because our present half-holiday arrangements are quite satisfactory, and a proved convenience to numbers of the shopping public. I write becaiue I have confidence that the business men of this town will prove equal to the occasion and not fail in conserving the trade interests of Palmerston North. We have the necessary push and adaptihility to accomplish hero what has been accomplished in other towns and with the same measure of success. In short, what others have done wo cun do.—Yours, etc., H. B. FREE.