WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10644, 27 May 1912, Page 5

WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY

OPPO3IYICN TO SATURDAY. The following petition /relating to the weekly half 'holiday is in circulation in Master ton,, and lis .being'extensively Signed by business people. His .Worship the Mayor and Borough Counoillons, Mastertonj— We the undersigned business people and pro perty owners in the Borough of Ma-;-terton, desire to urge on you the following reasons in tavour of adhering *to. Thursday as the weekly iliadf holiday, instead of Saturday, as suggested 'by Or Donald:— 1. This has been disoussed by. t\u'Employers' Association, who, after carefully considering 'the matter, passed the following resolution : 2. The observance of (the weekly half holiday on Thursday has been, most •satisfactory alike to employers an.l employees

3. The Saturday half holiday haa been tried in other 'boroughs with a population similar to Masterton; with the result that it has 'been unanimousI ly condemned, and the mid-week hoi. I day /reverted to. 4. Saturday has always been recognised in Masterton as a market day ■•for farmers of the .surrounding districts, and tho dieting of shops on "chat day would be a matter of gre:rj inconvenience to the settlers and also 'of serious loss to tHe business peopte of the town.

5. Neighbournig towns observe tlie mid-week holiday and the observance 'of Saturday in Masterton would divert business from this to other 'tOWllfi.

6. Saturday is admitted to be Mi« foest day for .retailers, as workers •make. <a practice to do their shopping on t'bat day, and -tine alteration to any other day in the week of the "tat.a night"' would 'be qaiiite 'Unsuitable fi.r workers.

7. Tlie weekly half holiday for those working tinier awards -is Saturday, oaid this day is 'the, only opportuii'v I for these to do any shopping. ' 8. When the weekly half holiday I was first introduoea there was a great diversity of opinion,, as to whether the 'mid-week or 'week-tend would'be 'mo at suitaflbfe 'for .tlie employees. Aftw. : 'giving the subject very careful consideration, and with tlie sanction of the •employees, the authorities unanimously decided that it would be beneficidl "for the employees to have a break .: mid-week as against the Saturday afternoon.

9. it is .the opinion of the mrfjomy •of ,tbe business people that if Saturday is adopted ais the 4 weekly half-flioliday the doss in' trade 'will necessitate the reduction of employees by at least oue third. 10. It has (been decided in other centres that a result of .Saturday hal.<holiday would be the crushing out p e "the smlall trader, \Viio depends on Sat•urdiay for the bulk of his trade. Previous to tie fixing of the day last year in /Wellington, meetings .wer-3 theld all over the city to discuss the adivfisability of observing Saturday. Artor the question was thoroughly ven'ti'laltfed, in every portion of; .the ..city it: .was decided that it .would'-be against %heah(terests of the business cornm.un%y generally to make any alteration •from the existing day.

11. We wbukl point out that this ;>evtition is (representative of the property owners and business people of the "town, who in the interests of their •businessies should be the best judg\s ■as to wbi<?h is .the most suitaible day. 'and we ask iifliat the foregoing reasons be carefully considered, and that no alteration bo mado. in the existing •ballf .holiday."

" llhe ticking of the poll would be of consideraible cost to the town and of the iburgosses, wfao have no finaucvi. interest in the matter. x .,