CLOSING DAY POLL

Taupo Times, Volume II, Issue 91, 16 October 1953, Page 5

CLOSING DAY POLL

Sir. — In his letter in your paper last week Mr Currie says it is unanimously agreed that employees and employersi are entitled to two consecutive days holiday in each week, as is the case almost through out the country. He should have said that in almost every town in New Zealand except Taupo they already had these two days together, namely Saturday and Sunday, and employees in business could take part in sports organised on Saturdays or go to events always held then. The idea that Taupo is rather unique because it is a tourist resort is overworked. What about Rotorua, where Saturday is the holiday and those in business can take advantage of attractions at the weekend. Mr Currie overworks the idea that people coming at the weekend need to buy goods on Friday nights and Saturday. Now we have electric light there is no trouble in having a late night Friday for country people and visitors as is done in other towns. Taupo will not lose by it, for visitors from everywhere else expect to find shops closed on the universal Saturday holiday and most of them probably bring what they want for Sunday with them already and buy the rest when the shops open on Monday. The Businessmen's Association letter talks of very little in the way of fresh supplies arriving in Taupo till Tuesday. That is no argument for making Taupo the odd town out in New Zealand by shutting shops on Monday of all days. Taupo businessmen are not agreed on Monday by a long way, for surely the thing to do is arrange to have the transport services altered to suit the needs of Taupo. The day that fresh meat. arrives ought not to decide the weekly holiday, for butchers have freezing chambers to keep their meat in. Mr Currie's idea is that visitors from outside Taupo like to come and shop on Saturdays, but surely they can do all the shopping they want on Friday night when the business people of Taupo wake up and have a late night. Residents have the rest of the week to shop, and should have a latq night too. Taupo is rather unique, to quote the Businessmen's letter, in not having this dlready. There is talk of nothing to do in Taupo for young people and yet the Business people want to keep open on Saturday, the day everywhere else set aside for organised sport. Those in business in Taupo are prevented from taking advantage of this. The Post Gfhce closes on Saturday at 11.30 a.m. The bank is closed, and the shops are closed everywhere else practically except in Taupo. Mr Currie says the businessmen are concernedi in trying to encourage residents to shop locally and keep their money in the town. The way to do that is to stock the goods residents want at prices that are right, and has nothing to do with keeping shops open on Saturday. I hope the voters of Taupo will wake up and give Taupo the advantages for all its people of taking part in the two consecutive days holiday the Businessmen talk about by voting for Saturday holiday like the rest of New Zealand. I am, etc.

BUSINESS-AS-USUAL >