WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10650, 5 June 1912, Page 5

WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY

THURSDAY OR SATURDAY? OR DONALD'S MOTION LOS'fi At last night's meeting of the Mas- | tea-ton Borough Council, Cr Donald 'brought forward ' a motion that the TOouncil approve of the weekly half-' 'holiday being changed from. Thursd'aty to Saturday, and that the business "people of the town ibe notified to make | arrangements accordingly:' | Cr O'Lesary, 'in seconding the motion, said tliat he had always favoured t 'Sarfmrday 1 , as iri h:s opinion Saturday TvoiiW: suit all parties concerned. Or Plragnell spoke .strongly against the proposed alteration, as he thought itliat t'hs ,m;id-weekly holiiday was more suitable. He would possibly favour 'Saturday if it was general throughout the country.. He certainly thoifgnt | that the public sho-ulkl Ibe given the ! opportunity of expressing it* views on •the question. A petition signed by 112 business people and citizens wiais then- rea'd,' 'stating a number of reasons- (already (published) why, in the opinion of the ■petitioners;, the present arrangement ■should be adbered to. Cr Elliott .did not 'favour the motion, as tihe people did not a-sk for it, and the Thursday seemed to give Sii.S .iafactiion to the majority. He was ■ strongly of the opinion that a change i to Saturday would be a blow to the | smaller tradesmen,, whose biggest j business was dene oh Saturday. o\v- j ing to iflie facilities for shopping by j telephone, the country people would ■not visit town so much if the stoops were closed on Saturday, and in this way. their business would naturally-go to the larger, feme, and the smaller 'main must suffer. '- Or Orrrrdy said that Saturday would suit Mm as well as 'Thursday.' He would not anirid if both days were holidays. (Laughter.) The country people, however, he thought must be considered. Saturday toad proved a fail- j ure 'as a general toll ■holiday in other ! . places, and would do so in Masterton. j Or Flanagan, while favouring .Saturday (person-ally, saw that an injustice wotfld be done to a certain section. He did not think it was m matter for the .Council. The Gcv.6Tn.mwit should faring in legislation to 'have one day appointed 'for closing, extending throughout a wide area, so that pne town benefiting il>y the closing of the business places of another would ( be done away with. Or Prentice (favoured 'Saturday, but thought the day should be fixed by JCgiiSlation. Or Temple strongly /favoured 'Saturday, but Ins would end ■there. He ooukli plainly see that by having Saturday as the half-holiday, .business must suffer, as Saturday was always looked upon ■ s the shopping day for all. The Mayor thought that 4he people were not ready ifor a olfange, and uintil they were it was -not likely that anything would .be done. He was : glnd, however, f tbat the matter was brought K\\p, as it was only by bringing the .subject into prominence that anything ,was likely of the matter. lOr. Donald'(said that 'he had brought ' the question rup, as he was sure that [ ; if the people were given the opportun- . ity of deciding for themselves they 1 -.would fix 01* Saturday. He thought " that the tenly way in which, the matter j .would be finally decided, would be by t taking a ballot of the people.

The motion was 'put to the meeting, and was lost.

The IVliayor explained that in voting against the motion, he did >so because lie did not Ithink that carrying the proposal, would bring them any nearer fa final settlement.