THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 February 1921, Page 4

THE HALF-HOLIDAY .

COMBINED SATURDAY MOVE. TARANAKI COMMITTEE FORMED. POLLS IN EVERY TOWN. A representative meeting of delegates from Saturday half-holiday associations throughout Taranaki was held at Stratford last night, to consider taking united action in order to make Saturday the universal half-holiday throughout the province. The following delegates were present: New Plymouth: Messrs. A. L. Humphries, H. B. Gray and R. H. George; Eltham, 1. J. Bridger, W. J. Tristram and S. Holder; Stratford, J. W. McMillan, W. McDonald, G. Smart, and T. J. Salmon; Inglewood, J. Sutherland, F. Spurdie and R. J. Frewin; Hawera, L. O. Hooker, R. E. C. Dowling and W. Hawkins.

The Mayor of Stratford (Mr. J. W. McMillan) waa voted to the chair. He welcomed the delegates and said tha,t the meeting would do much' good in enabling the delegates from each town to le-rn what was being done in the other towns. He called on Mr. Hooker as convener of the meeting to open the discussion. FEELING IN THE SOUTH. Mr. Hooker said there was no denying the fact that in Hawera and Eltham tHey had difficulties to face. A certain amount of jealousy existed between the business people of both places and the meeting had been called in order to disabuse the minds of the public as to the possibility of there being any parochialism in the matter. • The objective of the Hawera Association was to make the Saturday half-holiday universal, and this could best be done by taking united action and working in every town in order that a successful poll could be held. Tn Hawera they had some opposition from the Retailers’ Association. That association was composed' of 68 members, yet only 25 were present and a vote in favor of Wednesday was carried by only 13 to 8, four of those present not voting. He wished to assure the meeting that from a Saturday point of view everything was going well in Hawera. They had 800 signatures to the Saturday petition and 50 retailers on the main street had also signed a petition asking for a provincial Saturday half-holiday. TheSaturday Association’s scheme was to get everyone on the roll and a paid canvasser was at Work going from house to house putting every person on the roll. He was satisfied that the result of the poll would be a victory for Saturday by four to one. ('Applause). Mr. Hooker added that the association felt confident that Saturday would be carried universally without much difficulty. Mr. Humphries said that as far as New Plymouth was concerned he did not think there was the slightest doubt about Saturday -being carried. There was at present no organised opposition to Saturday as far as he knew, and they had circulated a petition which already had from 800 to 1000 signatures. They were also putting from 50 to 80 new names on the roll each day and this would serve to show that a strong organisation wr> at work, which was determined to bring about the Saturday half-holiday. He assured them that although there was no organised opposition the Saturday supporters were not going to leave matters alone, and should opposition crop up it would be dealt with very easily. STRATFORD'S LEAD.

Mr. McMillan said that as far as Stratford was concerned the. council had fixed Saturday as the half-holiday ?.nd it would come into operation next month. At the present time there was no organisation for Saturday, but at the conclusion of the meeting it was the intention of a few of them to get together and form a Saturday half-holiday association to organise the town thoroughly. They did not wish to take any risks about the matter and intended to work hard in order that the electors would confirm the .council’s decision. It had been said that Stratford had an advantage over the other towns in that it already had decided on Saturday and ,need not hold a poll. This would mean that Stratford could if it liked, change back to Thursday next year, but in order to place Stratford on an equal footing with all other towns a poll would be held. The council had given a pledge that a poll would be taken and this pledge would be fulfilled. . As far as the retailers were concerned he was satisfied that they would almost unanimously support Saturday if they were assured that it was going to be carried in other towns. He felt confident that practically a unanimous verdict would be given for Saturday when the poll was held.

Mr. Tristram said that Eltham had already lodged its requisition for a poll with the Borough Council, and it would be considered by the Borough Council on Friday night. He wished to say that the business people of Eltham were not all against them by any means. The Saturday supporters certainly had organised opposition, but Saturday had the strongest . organisation, and they were working very hard. A regular canvass was being made of the town, and one canvasser put thirty-three names on the roll—all Saturday supporters. The Saturday Association felt confident that they would win by three to one. A SATURDAY CAMPAIGN. Mr. Sutherland reported that a meeting had been held in Inglewood, at which practically unanimous support was forthcoming for the Saturday halfholiday. The only difficulty was that the business people of Inglewood felt that it would be foolish to adopt Saturday unless they were assured that New Plymouth was also going to close on Saturday. He wished to assure the meeting that the big majority of the Inglewood business people were in favor of Saturday and wanted to see it made the universal half-holiday. The meeting decided that a Provincial Saturday Half-holiday Association be formed, and that the executive consist of three delegates from each town. Mr. Hooker was appointed secretary and Mr. McMillan chairman.

Mr. Bridger remarked that the greatest difficulty in the way was the fear in some of the towns that qf they carried Saturday other towns may not carry it. This was the bogey which jjvas being put up by the opposition iflrEltham, and he thought that if a deputation from other towns waited on the opposition in Eltham it would do much good in clearing up the matter. A general discussion followed on the advisability of deputations from the as(Bociatkm waiting oq. the retailers in

each town and explaining tjie position to them, and eventually it was decided that deputations from each town wait on the retailers in Hawera and Eltham (where the strongest opposition existed), and, if necessary, on the retailers in other towns.