THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 266, 20 April 1915, Page 8

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

EMPLOYERS FAVOR THURSDAY. The question of whether the weekly half-holiday in New Plymouth should be Thursday afternoon on Saturday afternoon was discussed at a well-st-tended meeting of employers and tradesmen in the Borough Chambers last night. Mi\ C. E. ker presided. The chairman said V. '. when he fir.ir heard of the meeting l.„- thought it was one for the Employers' Association, bill really the meeting was a public one. This question had been before the public ■for some lime, and ho had no doubt that most people "had made up thiiir minds. He thought the Thursday halfholiday had received a setback owing to the banks, solicitors, insurance firms, and others in the town all going in fcr the Saturday half-holiday. Mr. 11. W. Sole moved that the meeting should adhere to the Thursday haliholiday, and that shops should clow at noon. To close at one o'clock was 1 no good, he said, as it often meant two o'clock before they got away, with the .result that they were always too late for sports or whatever they were going to do. Mr. Sole strongly advocated Thursdav, for, he said, Taranaki was essentially an agricultural province, and Saturday was the day for the farmers to come to town and do their business. Mr. P. Lealand seconded the motion.— A speaker who said he represented Mr. C. C. Ward, said that Mr. Ward desired to record his support of Thursday, as he thought it would be a great mistake to do away with the Thursday halfholiday, i

■ After some discussion, the portion of the motion relating to the time of closing was left aside. In answer to a question, the chairman said that he had heard from Waitira that there was a likelihood of Waitara deciding on Saturday in preference to Thursday. Mr. Sole remarked that he understood that at Nelson and Wanganui, where Saturday half-holiday had been introduced, there was a desire to go back to Thursday. At these place 3 Saturday had not been a success, and business had been lost by the charge. Mr. Morey thought that the question was rather one for the Government ilir.a for the townspeople. He thought that steps should be taken to get the Government to fix the half-holiday for the whole of the Dominion. Mr. C. Carter thought the interests'of the public would be better served by a - Thursday half holiday than by Saturday. Most of the working people received their pay on Friday, and they wanted to do their shopping on Saturday. The farmers had also to be considered. Saturday was the fanners' day in town, and nothing should be done to spoil it. He thought it would be good to get the other towns in the district to come into line with New Plymouth, so that the half-holiday would be universal.

Mr. W. P. Nieoll said that cities which had adopted Saturday, did not want to go back. In Christchurch he did not think that five per cent, of the people would go back to Thursday, and as far as Auckland was concerned there wa* not sufficient desire to give up Saturday even for them to suggest a poll on the question. Mr. Nicoll said that 'much had been said about the custom of farmsrs coming to town" on Saturday. He thought that too much was made of this point, for the, farmers would soon come to regard c ome other day in Jie week as just as suitable for their purpose as Saturday. The chairman observed that the meeting could not decide anything. The meeting could only express its views and give the public an idea of its feeling by voting on the question. Mr. H. J. M. Wells believed that if Saturday closing was introduced her.: it would affect business, especially that of drapers and clothiers. Saturday was the only day on which farmera could bring their children to town to get clothes, and if the drapers and clothu is Were closed en Saturday the farmers could not get clothes for their children. In fact, he had been told that the farmers would be unable to come to town on any other day except Saturday, as their work would not allow it.

A voice: They can find days to go to the races.

After some further discussion, the motion to recommend Thursday afternoon being retained as the half-holiday was carried by a large majority. It was further decided to urge the Government to fix a universal and comp 'lsory Saturday half-holiday. Mr. Carter proposed that a committee should be set up to work towards retaining Thursday as the day of the halfholiday, the committee to comprise Messrs May (bakers). Wells (clothier*), Ambury (drapers), Sole (butchers), and McNeill (grocers), with power to add to their number.

EARLIER CLOSING MOVEMENT. Mr. Sole said that now that the first part of his resolution had been carried, he would like to move that business premises close at noon, instead of one o'clock. Ho said that by doing this the employees would have more chance to spend a good afternoon. There was the train going out to the country at ten minutes to one, and often many employees would like to go to the country, but

as they could-not get away from work until one o'clock it was impossible for them to catch the train.

Mr. Carter thought that it would be better to make a recommendation to the employers for the meeting duly represented a small section of the tradespeople of the town. It would have to be purely voluntary to" close at noon, as the Act provided one o'clock as the closing hour. It was eventually decided that if the Thursday half-holiday is retained the employers be recommended to close at noon instead of one o'clock. ' Mr. R. J. Deare then proposed that 5.30 p.m. should be the dailv cloning hour, instead of six o'clock. He did not think any business would be lost if this were done. Mr. Aroa seconded the motion, for he thought that by keeping open till six o'clock shopkeepers .were only wasting gas. Mr. Wells said that as far as his business was concerned it was a convenience to his customers to do their shopping after five o'clock, and he would not be in favor of closing at half-past five. I It was decided to recommend that shops close at 5.30 p.m. throughout the year.