The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1904. SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 169, 21 July 1904, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1904. SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL.

The Shops anil Offices Hill which it is expected will puss into luw during this session is a measure that has evoked considerable discussion, and must provide food (or a lengthy debate in tho House. It has been made very evident that- the attempt of the Government to make hard and last rules applicable to all shops and otllce* in the colony ie voted as a most arbitrary one, and it is equally plain that the bill must suffer some modification before it In passed. The New Plymouth Traders' Association has taken exception to several clauses of the bill, more particularly to tho Saturday half-holiday question. It ia pro Tided thai ginn|.ltaneously witi the general elections a poll shall ho taken to decide whether or not Saturday shall be declared the half-holiday for the colony, and, the result of that poll shall have effect from liio first day of .January next after taking the poll, and continue in force for six years, unless repealed by a poll in the meantlmo which can be obtained on a petition signed by ten per cent, of the electors of the colony. Eventually, we believe, Saturday will become tho universal half-holiday, but at present there is strong opposition to the proposal. Especially i« this so in those towns, such as Now Plymouth, where country settlers ex* accustomed to do their marketing on tiro last day of the week, Of course the innovation means a wholesale alteration in more ways than one, for with the business places closed on Saturday afternoo» and evening, wages must be paid o» Friday, in order to allow housewives to transact their shopping business. Tlicre ia also tho fact to be considered that at present nia»jr eountry townships and small settlements have only one mail a week, and that arrives on Saturday at the local store, which is also the post office. It is quite clear that settlors in such districts, supplied weekly with mails, and depending on the weekly paperg for their news of the outside world, will hardly fall in with the Saturday half-holiday scheme. We take exception to the proposal to submit this question to a referendum, Itolieving that the large centres can outvote the smaller towns and country districts, where travelling is difficult. A poll in a city is a small matter, but in country districts it often means Journeying for miles along bad rouds and in bad weather. And again, it is the duty of the Legislature to do this work, but instead of that the members of Parliament seem inclined to shirk their dutie» and cast them at the people of the colony. Hie referendum proposals are mainly supported by agitators, but if the members returned and paid for that purpose are afraid to pass legislation, why should they seek refuge in this manner behind a referendum and shuffle the responsibility on to their constituents. The New Zealand Times draws attention to a feature of the Shops and Offlc« llill that has been otherwise overlooked, a»d -this should receive th# close attention of the House. "Although newspaper officoa are exempted from tho provisions as to tihe Saturday half-holi-day and closing at 5 p.m. on flvo days of the weok," gays our contemporary, "the offices of cable companies and now6-despatchlng agencies are not. The effect of this would be that those offices would be unable to send or receive news between one o'clock each Saturday afternoon and the Monday mormpg following This result can hardly ha** been intendod by the framers of th» measure. The public would loudly complain if they were deprived of the latest news in their Saturday .evening and Monday morning papers ; for in these days of stirring events the daily newspaper, with its intelligence from all parts of the world, is an article of almost prime necessity. The proper course is to include the newspaper, news-despatching and cable companies' offices in the list of those exempted from tho operation of the bill ; and as it is probably only by oversight that they have not been exempted, tho Legislature will doubtless see lo it that the desired amendment is made."' Mr Field, secretary to th# Employers' Federation, is of opinion that the bill will go through Its final stages this session, but if it doen we hope it will be considerably amended.

ON THE KH'UTH I'AOR Literature. The Nemesis Wreck.