THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 January 1921, Page 4

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

THURSDAY AT ELTHAM. The half-holiday question was before a full meeting of the Eltham Borough Council last night. Cr. Thorpe moved that Thursday should continue to be the day of the half-holiday, and the motion was carried without discussion. FEELING IN THE PROVINCE. SATURDAY GENERALLY FAVORED. A meeting of the Hawera Saturday Half-Holiday Association was held on Thursday. Report*; were received from the different centres In the province to enable the Association to ascertain the general feeling in the principal towns in regard to the Saturday half-holiday. Patea residents were strongly in favor of the Saturday half-holiday, and two members of the Council whom Mr. Burdekin (secretary) had communicated with were willing to canvass the town for signatures, to be submitted to Patea Borough Council. At Eltham, where the moat opposition was met with, the secretary had got into touch with Mr. Holder and Mr. Bridger, the latter having consented to call a meeting for next Monday night, when the Hawera Association’s proposals would be considered. It was thought in Eltham that if it came to a poll the Saturday half-holiday would be favored. Mr. Bullock, reporting on New Plymouth’s attitude, said that a gentleman there had informed him that they were quite confident of carrying the Saturday half-holiday at a poll. At a previous election they had lost the Saturday half-holiday by about 200 votes, but now one big business firm, which was the medium of 200 votes and which at the last election was opposed to Saturday, was now in favor of their scheme, which meant that they should have a majority of 400 votes, not counting others who had done the same. Mr. Cummings reported that Inglewood was solely relying on New Plymouth’s decision. The Borough Council had passed a unanimous vote for the Thursday half-holiday, but this was simply because this day was thought to favor New Plymouth. If New Plymouth favored Saturday, and a poll was taken at Inglewood, then Inglewood’s votes would be decidedly in favor of Saturday as the closing day. Two years ago, at Waitara, the Saturday half-holiday had been carried, but some fault had been found and they had reverted to the old day of closing. At the present time residents of Waitara were unanimously out for Saturday, and they were sending out requisiion forms that day. Stratford, of course, had already carried Saturday, and if the motion had been gazetted they could not recall their decision for twelve months. Saturday comes into force there on February 4. To sum up the whole position, said Mr. Cummings, every town is waiting to see what will be the attitude of its neighbor. The only way to get over this difficulty, he said, was to hold a provincial conference and thrash the matter out there. It was decided to appoint three delegates, Messrs. Hooker, Burdekin, and Cummings, to represent the Hawera Association at a provincial conference to be. held in Stratford.—-Star. Says the Manaia Witness: Stratford Borough Council and Opun’ake Town Board have fixed on Saturday as the weekly half-holiday. Polls of electors will probably be taken in April in New Plymouth, Hawera, Eltham and other towns, and the Taranaki Saturday halfholiday is drawing nearer. If Manaia Town Board decide on Monday in favor of retaining Wednesday it is likely that a requisition to take a poll of electors on the question will be presented to that body.