THE HALF-HOLIDAY POLL.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 April 1921, Page 4

THE HALF-HOLIDAY POLL.

The results of yesterday’s poll in Taranaki on the half-holiday question are unsatisfactory, in that no one day has been agreed upon. New Plymouth, as was expected, overwhelmingly declared for Saturday, as did Waitara. Inglewood, by a very small majority, decided to keep to Thursday; Stratford, which altered to Saturday on petition, has reverted to Thursday; Eltham emphatically showed its preference for Thursday, whilst Hawera, in what must have been a record poll, showed a 79 majority in favor of Wednesday, the present halfholiday. So the same lack of uniformity in the half-holiday in the province is to be perpetuated, at least for another two .years. This is to be regretted. At the same time it must be recognised that each town has a perfect right to decide this matter for itself; but it would be preferable if in a homogeneous district like Taranaki provision were made to take a poll of the whole of the towns on the half-holiday question, so that if Saturday or Thursday were favored it would be general m the province. At present towns are diffident about making a change for fear of what their neighbors may do. Stratford closed on Saturday by petition to the council. It felt, perhaps with reason, that whilst Eltham kept open it could not afford to retain Saturday. Eltham, hemmed in by larger towns, showed by its vote that it was not prepared to take any chances, and so kept Thursday. If the vote had been provincial, instead of local, the position may have been quite different, and we- might have had one uniform day throughout the province. Still, the fact that New Plymouth and Waitara have voted for Saturday, and Opunake, Kaponga, Manaia and Patea already observe Saturday, will assist the uniform half-holiday movement, and later be the means of bringing the other towns into line.