SATURDAY, DEC. 10, 1898.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Issue 29, 10 December 1898, Page 2

SATURDAY, DEC. 10, 1898.

Some bad bungling has occurred ozi several occasions in Waimate over the weekly half-holiday. On Show Day, Tuesday, November 15th, all the shops closed with the intention of keeping open on the following Thursday. By an oversight the Tuesday had not been proclaimed a public holiday, t and it became questionable if the shops could legally be Icept open on the Thursday afternoon, that being the statutory half-holiday. Exactly the same set of circumstances arose in Timaru a Week or two previously, and a shopkeeper who had closed along with the others on , a day earlier in the Week, was fined for being open on the Thursday afternoon. Taking warning by the Timaru man's experience, the Waimate shopkeepers With one exception, closed on the Thursday afternoon, though they had closed on the previous Tuesday afternoon. We are not concerned as to Whether the exception violated the law or the other shopkeepers gave themselves and their employees an extra half-holiday that week unnecessarily, but we do think it is a mistake on the part of those concerned not to make better arrangements in such circumstances. It is a pity we have not an Early Closing Association or some similar body in the place which might take charge of such matters. A Very stupid arrangement Was made in regard to observing last NeW Year's Day. 3?or some years past, it has Keen the custom to close on New Year's Day and the following day. On that occasion, instead of closing on New Year* Day proper , t which happened to be on a Saturday, it "was suddenly agreed to keep ope^n on New Year's Day and close on the fok lowing Monday and Tuesday. No public? notification was made, and, as might bo expected, confusion resulted. Little bWi', n«9s was done on New Year's Day, an<3l many 'persons, especially country, residents who had "some distance to come,<were disappointed 4 'to find'the shops closed on :f i^ja Tuesday, when they' niight fte expected to be open. , anciversary. oi the ,prp. tince, December lCth, has always "fceta

observed, as a holiday in Waimate ; but it is not a statutory holiday. The question jnow is, can the shops keep open next Thursday afternoon, 15th inst., because they may intend to close all day on "Friday, 16th ? It is undesirable that we ghould have a repetition of the experience of Show wee}?, and this clearly may be avoided by an arrangement among the shopkeepers themselves,