EARLY CLOSING.
TO THE EDITOR. “ BE DILIGENT IN BUSINESS.” Sir, — The Early Closing system, or half-holiday on every Wednesday, has had a trial—short—yet sufficiently long to enable an opinion to be formed as to its utility or otherwise. Employers of late years have usually, met by considerable concessions, the wishes of t heir employees, but unfortunately, in some instances, they have extended beyond the bounds of prudence; and it is to be feared the subject under notice is a conspicuous instance. It is alleged by its advocates that it has been adopted in other places, and that they liked it. I think it is safe to reply that it is not adopted in one place of business importance inahundred ; and that the time is ill chosen, when trade is very dull, to curtail the business chances by “ putting up the shuts,” and it would be still worse if business was good. I beleive it to be wrong in principle, and carrying with it much injustice. An employer could far better afford to give his hands holidays in rotation, and keep open, for if the employees persist to extract from their employers this untimely immunity from labor, for which they are paid, they may discover the unpleasant fact that they are cutting the baanch on which they rest. I think it cannot be seriously urged that’any of the employees in Gisborne require half-a day in every week to recoup their exhausted energies ; nor is it every man who would desire to be in idleness in commercial hours. Even presuming the public were not inconvenienced the fact of all business being suspended—to give our young men an outing—has far too much of the absurd about it; and it is not very flattering to the business sagacity of our townsmen.
Au instance bearing on this subject may be adduced, which occurred in the British Parliament some time since, a discussion arose as to the probable causes which led to the commercial prostration of the sister isle, when the Hon. Mr Bright appealed to the common sense of its representatives, if they could not with advaantage throw a few Saints’ holidays out of their Calendar, and devote it to a little wholesome work. It is evident commercial men here think, or act otherwise, for they have introduced a mid-week little Saint, and it is very questionable if he has brought that blessing among us claimed by his devotees.
It is far from the intention of the writer to seek to deprive the employees of Gisborne from ample opportunities —save in the form of compulsory closing—there are many other means of obtaining it, but none 1 consider could be more antagonistic to the best interests of all concerned, or subject us to the merited irony of our fellow Colonists, —I am &c., Anti Siesta.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/PBS18811210.2.18.2
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 1010, 10 December 1881, Page 2
Word count
Tapeke kupu
469EARLY CLOSING. Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 1010, 10 December 1881, Page 2
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.