The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1895.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 14, 17 January 1895, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1895.

For tho caius that laois assiEtancs, For the "wrong that needs resistance, For the fature in tho distance And th» good that we can do.

The Municipal Conference to settle the day for the half-holiday will meet

to-morrow. It must be admitted that the meetings and the newspaper correspondence through the medium of which the subject has been debated, have not assisted the delegates much., They have only tended to display the wide divergence of opinion that exists with regard to the rival merits of the two days which are named in the Act. A poll would have been very much more to the purpose. Notwithstanding this difference, we think the Conference would act in a contemptible and pusillanimous way if it adopted the advice of our morning contemporary and shirked theduty imposeduponit by law. The question is clearly one for local decision. Some other governing bodies have already decided it in the way they consider most in accordance with public interests and .convenience, in view of the local circumstances, and our own local, bodies should surely be equally capable of discharging their legal functions. The argument used by the " Herald "^hat, the "Closing Act is Mr Reeves', not the Auckland City Conncil," is ridiculous and untrue. The law is one whose essential features were passed by overwhelming majorities of the people's representatives. It received the support of members ot the Opposition as well as of the Government. Upon its third reading, which marks the final stage in the passing of a measure, a division was not even called for. With regard to the views of the Opposition party on she question, we may quote the speed* made by Captain Russell, its Leader, when the Bill came up for c third reading. He said :— t

The true principle of the Bill, I am quite convinced, is the fixing of a compulsory Saturday half-holiday. There would be annoyance, I have no doubt, for a period of perhaps" six months, bub at the end of those six: months, I am sure every person engaged in retail trado would bless this House for having insisted that there should be one holiday. \Yhab has been pointed out in Comniitte I now point out again. The factories axe closed on Saturdays, tho banks and other establishments are closod. on Saturdays, and the whole of the children have their holiday on Saturday, and it would be a great benofib to those employed in the retail trade if they had the same half-holiday. Though, no doubfc, there might be annoyance for a short time, that - would vanish, I believe, in the course of six months. The closing of the shops and nob compelling them to observe the statutory halfholiday on to,ho same day, ia one of the blemishes of the Bill, because greah friction will result, and it will inevitably be the means of bringing this Bill before this House again in 12 or 24 months.

Moreover, the clauses which have caused all the trouble and contusion, by creating absurd exemptions and so placing shops that are compelled to close in a most unfair position, were introduced by the Legislative CouncD with the full approval of our morning contemporary, but against the most strenuous opposition of Mr Reeves. To father the whole responsibility on the Bill as it is passed upon Mr Reeves, is therefore worse than childish, j

A Parliament fresh from the country is responsible for it, and if the members returned have misrepresented the people they should direct them better the next time, and get the law amended or repealed. A municipal corporation might as well refuse to work the law under which they exist because some member or Government introduced it into the Legislature, as to take up such an attitude towards this particular statute.

We are inclined to agree with Captain Russell that there will be no finality in this matter until the day now so widely observed as a half-holiday by* wholesale and manufacturing firms receives universal acceptance in the cities. The alternative of allowing an option of Wednesday was, however, necessary to meet the local circumstances of cities where Saturday is still the market day, and to suit country towns. We admit that our own Municipal Conference have a difficult task before them, but if they are really representatives of the districts which have elected them, they ought not to find the task an insuperable one, and we have

no " doubt their decision will be loyally obeyed. It will not be like the laws of the Medes and Persians, unalterable—and if any very bad result follow, the conclusion arrived at may be revised: