THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 23 April 1913, Page 5

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

APPLICATION FOR INJUNCTION. DISCUSSED BY BOROUGH COUNCIL. The half-hodiday question came up for discussion at th.3 concluding meeting of the Masterton Borongh Council last evening, whan' a communication was" received from Messrs Hollings and Pragn&U, solicitors, enclosing a copy of proceedings filed by Mr Richard J .King, gunsmith, of Masterton, on behalf of the local Rjtail-' ers' Association, claiming an injunction to restrain the Mnsterton Borough Council and the Returning Officer .(Mr R. Brown), from proceeding with the taking cf a. poll on the question of the Saturday half-holiday., The notice of moticmi states that the injunction is being applied for on the ground that the petition for the ipoll, presented to the Borough 'Council on March 11th, was not signed by the required number of electors of the Borough of Masterton, that is, onetenth of the total .number of electors on the roll in force at the time of the requisition b?ing presented. Or Flanagan said the object of the claim for an injunction was clearly to make the ciise come up for hearing at such a time as to prevent the tak-,j ing of a ipoll, owing to the case not being concluded in the Supreme Court. He thought that those who put forward the claim for an injunction should! have forwarded the,-- names cf those electors objected to'on the roll. Cr Candy said the Council must study the ratepayers, who had clearly decided m favour of a poll being taken. The complaint put forward, as to the invalidity of the petition, was very indefinite. It was the duty of the Council l to go on with the poll until such time as an injunction was secured. He could see no other course open to them. Cr 'Elliott said there was nothing to stop the poll being proceeded with, unless an injunction was secured. He said there were.two sides to the question, that of thciiso who favoured Saturday and those who did not. He did not consider it the duty of the Council to defend either. A poll was asked for, and it was decided that a poll should be taken. He did not. consider it the duty of the Council to expend the ratepayers' money in defending the motion. He though, the Court would look after the Council's interests. Cr Tempi© considered the matter should be referred to a solicitor at once, so that the Council should ascertain its position. Cr O'Leary thought the Council would be backing down if they refused to defend t% motion, after having decided 'in favour of,a poll being taken. Cr Temple said he was prepared to move that the advice of the Council's •solicitor be sought at once. Cr Elliott said the Council could do nothing in the matter, and it was ultimately decided that the letter lie on the table.