HALF-HOLIDAY

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 124, 29 April 1925, Page 7

HALF-HOLIDAY

FINAL SATURDAY RALLY. Supporters of tlie Saturday half- ! holiday movement conducted a final rally in Broadway last night. Messrs A. D. Campbell, R. Inkpen, C. F. Spooner and W. Merton were the speakers in favour of the adoption of the Saturday half-holiday. Mr Campbell was the principal speaker and like the others who addressed a crowd of fair dimensions, stressed the arguments to which already much publicity has been given. He pointed out that a very largo amount of country shopping was done by post and that that refuted in part at least tho contention that country patrons would be inconvenienced. Much had been said about the “lamentable failure of the Saturday holiday in Masterton.” He had communicated with an important firm there and had been informed that the Saturday holiday was a complete success and that tho town and its business were booming. Further, he had been advised that the Wednesday movement there was backed by about eight or ten people. Masterton had developed wonderfully since it had had Saturday half-holiday as also had Hamilton and other Waikato towns in the greatest dairying district in New Zealand. Yet it was said that tho Saturday half-day would not suit Palmerston'North because it was tho centre of a dairying district. He produced a booklet, which he said was an authoritative commercial travellers’ reference work, which showed that there were only 71 towns in New Zealand with the mid-week holiday—not 214 as had been stated. Three-quarters of the Dominion’s population, lie said, enjoyed an uninterrupted week’s shopping which led to better business and more general satisfaction all round. He made a strong appeal to his hearers to vote for Saturday to-day. Mr Campbell was accorded a vote of thanks for his enthusiastic assistance given to the Saturday movement and the gathering broke up amidst cheers. An orchestra in a motor lorry in the street added to the interest of tho gathering.