SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 April 1921, Page 3

SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

PROVINCIAL ASSOCIATION. PROGRESS OF THE CAMPAIGN. A meeting of the Taranaki Provincial Saturday Half-holiday Association was held at Stratford last night, delegates being present from Hawera. Eltham and Stratford. The New Plymouth, Inglewood and Waitara delegates were unable to attend. The Mayor of Stratford (Mr. J. W. McMillan) occupied the chair. The members of the management committee of the Taranaki Rugby Union, who were holding a meeting in Stratford, attended the meeting in a body, and Mr. McMillan asked Mr. James McLeod (chairman) to express the views of the union on the half-holiday question. Mr. McLeod said he felt justified in saying that opinion was unanimous among footballers that Saturday was the only day for football, and the union had fixed Saturday for their matches with the idea that it would be carried throughout the province. lie referred to the lack of organised opposition in New Plymouth, stating that in view of this fact it was difficult to understand the position in the south. But there was no doubt whatever that Saturday would be carried in Waitara and Inglewood as well as New Plymouth. After reading the newspaper reports of what their opponents were saying, he felt that he would be glad of the opportunity of debating the question with some of the men on the Thursday side who professed to be speaking from the point of view of -sport. He was satisfied that it was only a red herrint; being drawn across the scent, as the men were not sports and could not speak for sport because they did not know what it was. ALL FOOTBALL ON SATURDAY. The men he regarded as sports vpere those who were out for clean living and playing the game. If they as a community ever got away from playing the game when work was over then they were done for. Mr. McLeod said that his shop in New Plymouth was the only one in Devon Street which closed on Saturday, and he had no hesitation in stating that it made no difference to his business. The Rugby Union stood for Saturday and was going to play the game during the next six weeks under great disadvantages. The Rugby Union was doing everything it could to ensure Saturday being carried, because they believed it was* the better day for the whole community. He personally did not have any fear of what was going to happen. In his opinion the Thursday people were animated purely by selfishness. The Thursday man was in the wrong and knew he was wrong, and he had no doubt that in three months the Thursday people wpuld admit that they were wrong. The Rugby Union was quite willing to do everything to help carry Saturday, especially as their scheme this year from a financial point of view depended entirely on the Saturday half-holiday. (Aplause).

The Mayor moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. McLeod and the Rugby Union officials for coming along and assisting to carry Saturday. The motion was carried by acclamation, and the Rugby Union delegates then retired.

The secretary (Mr. L. 0. Hooker) read correspondence which had passed between the executive and the mid-week associations inviting them to a round table conference, tile effect of which was that in Hawera the negotiations had proved abortive owing to the refusal of the Wednesday people to meet them.

Mr. Tristram reported, on' behalf of Eltham, that the negotiations for a conference in that town had also proved abortive. Mr. H. B. Burdekin said that the principal argument being used by their opponents was that they were afraid that if they carried Saturday in their town their neighboring towns might not do so. With the object of overcoming this difficulty, lie desired to move the following resolution: “That letters be sent to the chairmen of the mid-week half-holiday associations in Stratford, Eltham, Hawera, New Plymouth, Inglewood and Waitara suggesting to them that as the best means of guaranteeing that Saturday will be carried in the neighboring towns, that they join forces with this association and work for the provincial Saturday half-holiday, which will guarantee the reshlt and ensure a common closing day throughout the province.” Mr. W. J. Tristram seconded. POSITION IN HAWERA. The chairman said the resolution was quite on the right lines. The Saturday Association had always advocated a univarsal half-holiday and had always been willing to meet their opponents with the object of securing a universal, halfholiday. If the people who said that they were voting for the mid-week because they were afraid of what other towns were doing were genuine, they would surely fall into line and support Saturday. Mr. McDonald also supported the proposal, stating that he had come across many people who were going to vote for Thursday simply because they were afraid of what $ Ilham was doing. Mr. Hooker said that the resolution was in the direction that the Hawera Association had been aiming at all along, but the other side had referred to the provincial half-holiday as mere camouflage. Referring to the attitude of their opponents, Mr. Hooker said that at Eltham Mr. Bennett, of Hawera, stated that 90 per cent of the business people in Hawera were against Saturday. In making that statement, added Mr. Hooker, Mr. Bennett knew he was wrong. The actual position in Hawera at the present time was that iaere were 177 businesses, 83 of which now observed Saturday, leaving 95 otllers, and at least 27 of these were assisting in the Saturday halfho.Mday. Another matter was that the opposition in Hawera were now realising that the farmers’ bogey was getting played out and their latest scheme was to appeal to the workers. He was satisfied that the only argument the opr position really had was that they were afraid of what their neighboring towns were doing, and he thought the resolution was on the right lines. Mr. Hewitt said there was a certain class of people who were afraid of having their names published. He had in front of him a list containing 104 names, 19 of whom were afraid of having theirs published, although they were solidly in favor of Saturday. The resolution was carried IyIt was further decided that the conference be held in the Atheneum Hall, Eltham, on Thursday evening at 8 o’clock. RESULTS ANTICIPATED. Mr. Tristram, speaking for the ElAssociation, said thejr no

doubt whatever of Saturday being carried in Eltham, and the opposition were weakening. Mr. McDonald said he did not think there, was the slightest doubt about Stratford, and he was satisfied that the general opinion was that Saurday would be carried. He gave a resume of the activities of the Saturday Association up to date. Mr. Burdekin, on behalf of Hawera, said the Wednesday Association was really assisting iihe Saturday movement. The Saturday committee was well organised and had canvassed the town thoroughly, and if organisation was going to count they were going to win by the biggest majority in the province. Also they had been promised twenty cars fpr polling day. He was confident that Hawera would carry Saturday easily. Mr. Hodker said the Saturday Association had added 64*2 names to the electors’ list in Hawera. The meeting then discussed proposals for an advertising campaign.