THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 April 1921, Page 8

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

THE MOVEMENT IN STRATFORD. MEETING OF SPORTS BODIES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Stratford, April 16. An enthusiastic meeting of members of sports bodies sympathetic to the Saturday half-holiday was held in the Borough Council Chambers, Stratford, on. Saturday evening. Mr. D. J. Malone, president of the Taranaki Rugby Union, occupied the chair, and there was an attendance of over sixty, including several ladies.

The.chairman said it augured well for the cause they were advocating when such a large number of the prominent citizens turned out to the meeting. At the outset of the campaign the Saturday Association were inclined to think they were fighting on their own, but it was now quite apparent that a big body of the public were actively with them. It was his intention to deal with the subject from a purely sporting point of view. As they all knew, the object of the meeting was to enlist the sympathies of all members of sports bodies in obtaining a universal Saturday halfholiday for Taranaki. At the present time several days were observed in the province for the weekly half-holiday, and this had been to the detriment of sports. As president of the Rugby Union he wished 1 it clearly understood that they were not anxious to clash with the business of the town, but they wanted, as far as possible, to work in with the business people. So far as the Rugby Union was concerned, fifteen senior teams were being entered for competitions, 19 juniors, 13 third-grade and 15 fourthgrade teams; a total of 1000 grade players, for whom the union was providing healthy recreation on the Saturday halfholiday. In addition to this number there would be 600 primary school players, making a total of 1600. Mr. Malone then referred to the difficulties which confronted the Rugby Union officials .in arranging the matches, and said that he thought everyone in the room desired to do something for the furtherance of the football movement, which was the national game of New Zealand. In the pant Taranaki had produced mighty football teams, and they were still capable of producing as good teams in the future. It had been said by their opponents that they were working purely in the interests of the amusement of the people, but he desired to contradict that statement. When a number of men such as the Rugby Union banded themselves together for the purpose of providing healthy recreation for t'he young men, he thought they deserved credit for what they were doing. In striking contrast the remarks which one of their opponents made at Eltham recently, in which he ridiculed sport, Air. Malone, quoted the remarks of the Prime Minister at the welcome to the Australian cricketers, in which Air. Massey .stressed the importance and value of sport, and contended that he would far rather accept the opinion of Air. Alassey than that expressed by the gentleman at Eltham, Also, on "the return of the All Black team from Australia last year, added Mr. Afalone, the House was in session, but the Cabinet saw fit to adjourn in order

to allow the members to witness a jnatch. Air. Malone then dealt with the remarks of another Stratford speaker, who recently stated that the mid-week halfdwHday was necessary for clean minds and'clean bodies (Laughter.),, and that Saturday as the sports day was not going to'help the rising generation keep straight in life, etc. i yoice: “He must have been born lon a Wednesday. (Laughter.) I Air. Matone, continuing, said that the speaker conciuded .his remarks by stating that there were more serious things in life than money, and with this latter statement he (Air. Alalone) heartily agreed. He considered the less personalities they used the better it would be for their cause. There was no argument in abuse, and if their argument was as weak a» some of their opponente said it was, he maintained that they should all be made to work for the rest of their lives without a Half-holiday at all. It was bis opinion that all games should be plajjed on the sajpe day. and Saturday appeared to be the best day because it gave the players the opportunity of resting on the following da.y. and being fresh for their work on Alon-, day morning. The Rugby Union had de ■ cided that all matches must be played on Saturdays/ and any places which faffi‘4 to carry the Saturday half-holi-day would be unable to play football unless the players got away from work, which was not desirable in the interests of their employers. He had been laid that some people who already had the Saturday half-holiday were going. to vote for Thursday, as they liked to do their shopping on their QWP half-holiday. He difl not believe this, however', as most of the public took some sort of interest ! in sport, and the idea of all having the holiday together struck them as being fair play. He had also been told that the ladies were going to vote for Thursday on account of the inconvenience of shopping on Saturday morning, but he was satisfied that, while there had been some inconvenience during the first week or so, that inconvenience had now been overcome, and now housewives were prepared hi time. (Hear, hear.) The average woman was very broad-minded, and he believed that women as a whole would sacrifice any thoughts of inconvenience in the interests of others. He felt sure t'he Saturday half-holiday was in the best interests of the towns, because it placed everyone on an equality as far as the half-holiday was concerned. Air. G. E. Jago, secretary of the Taranaki Rugby Union, suggested the formation of a ladies’ committee, stating that in Eltham the Saturday people had a ladies’ committee of 40 strong. He did not want to see Stratford carry Saturday and other places carry Thursday. That was not their idea at all. They wanted a universal day, and it seemed that if any was doubtful in Taranaki it was Stratford. (Cries of “No!”) He did not, however, think, so himself. Air. Jago then dealt with the. value of good sport in training the youth of the country, and referred to the action of the Alanaia branch pf the Farmers* Union in deciding almost unanimously in favor of the Saturday half-holiday, as indicating that the farmers were divided on the question. He maintained that the farmers would soon get accustomed to the Saturday 7 half-holiday, and in support pf this statement instanced the success it had been in Hamilton, which was essentially a farmers’ town.

Mr- E, S. Rutherford, president of the Stratford Golf Club, said he was satisfied that for sport they must have a universal half-holiday. He referred to the success of the Saturday half-holiday in the cities and other towns, stating that it was surely in the best interests Of t'he towns when thousands of players were able to go out to the open spaces fpr their games together. Apart from sport he believed from & business

point of view one day was as good as another for the half-holiday. Air. Rutherford then referred to the causes of the present slump, stating that the falling oil in business had nothing to do with the half-holiday. The Stratford retailers were attaching too much importance to the falling-olf in business, and were blaming the half-holiday, instead x of realising that the people did not have the same amount of money to spend. He recognised that the half-holiday should be a provincial matter, and that every town in the province

should settle the matter together. He was very pleased to hear it stated that Eltham was going to carry Saturday, and he believed that the change would be as big a success in Taranaki as it was in other places. Air. W. Harris (Stratford Bowling Club) said he had had experience of the Saturday half-holiday in several towns in which he had lived, and in all of them the same old bogeys were used by the opposition. He was satisfied that the carrying of the Saturday half-holiday was the making of any town, and he advised them all to put more ginger into the campaign. (Hear, hear.)-

The chairman ' stated - that in all 85 towns had carried Saturday half-holiday, and he had received opinions from several of these places. The town clerk of the Paeroa Borough stated that Saturday had proved an advantage over every other day of the week for all concerned. The town clerk of Petone stated that Saturday half-holiday worked satisfactorily, and had no detrimental effect upon business. The town clerk of Hamilton stated that after two years of Saturday the total result was as much business as ever, and there was no move to make any change. The town clerk of Feilding said Saturday half-holiday had been in operation for two years with decided success, and had come to stay. The town clerk of Lower Hutt said Saturday had been the half-holiday for the last five or six years, and had given every satisfaction to employers and employees. He (the chairman) asked his hearers to judge for themselves as to whether the towns mentioned compared with Stratford. Air. J. W. AlcAlillan (Mayor of Stratford) said that some people might be inclined to think, if they believed the arguments of t'he Thursday people, that he did not have the progress of the town at heart, but he ventured to say that there was no one who had the interests of Stratford more at heart or was more optimistic of its future than he was. In advocating the Saturday half-holiday he was doing so with the object of getting a provincial half-holiday He was inclined to think the majority of the retailers vrere very much afraid of competition from The other towns, but he maintained that if the trades people adopted a progressive policy they would get the business. He knew that Saturday was the best, day for sport, and he could not understand why the .shopkeepers in Stratford would not 'be guided by the experience of other towns. He was satisfied that that meeting would mean a very solid vote in favor of Saturday.

Mr. Cecil Wright referred to the success of the Saturday half-holiday in Auckland.

Air. R. B. Anderson moved the following resolution: “That the representatives of sports bodies present at this meeting pledge themselves to do all in their power in support of a provincial Saturday half-holiday.”

Mr. D. B. Tlill (president, of the Sportsdale Club) seconded, and the resolution was carried unanimously by acclamation.

The chairman said a good deal could be done by those present in combatting the arguments of their opponents. They had no wish to get down to the gutter, but wished to fight on decent lines, and He desired to point out that those .keen on the movement had no intention of doing anything that would injure the tradespeople. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the meeting.