THE SATURDAY HALFHOLIDAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1061, 25 February 1911, Page 7

THE SATURDAY HALFHOLIDAY.

SA LEGAL OPINION.

-MEETING OF COMMITTEE.

'A well-attended meeting of tho, Wellington Saturday Half-holiday Poti-

' ■ - tion. Committee was held in tho Trades Hall last ovonmg, Mr. S. Farlaud prei ■ sidnig. Tlio see rotary (Mr. P. Muir) • reported that as instructed at a pro: viouk meeting, ho had obtained a legal opinion' on questions raised by a niemv . h>r fatthat meeting, 'llio solicitor ... comiiltca was Air.! 1). M.Findlay. .Ho was asked first, whether tho half-holiday petition was sufficiently signed by an : olccoor "who wrbto his>ordwary signa- .. ; turi'j'. using initials instead ot .writing . his', full name.' Further, Jlr. I'indlay was'asked if it wero sufficient, that a " signatory should sign in lead pencil,. Dieso questions wero raised. in view of iho fact that n number of electors signing tho i>otition ; had used onlv ' initials of their christian_ names,, anu a k\r had signed in load pencil. Sir. Findlay gavo it as his opinion thnt/ theso questions wero matters'.of evidence. . In tho ahsenco of. spccial rulei; mado' by' tho kcal authority, lio thought that an : ordinary signaturo was sufficient.' • Similarly,;' in tho' absence of iipocial' rolls;; a signaturo'in lead should not'be invalid. V, ( It was, 1 . of course,'.very desirable that a signature should bo in or indelibly marked in some way, but this was'not, apart from-the special requirements mentioned, actually necessary. ; . / ': : . ■ Secondly, Mr/ Findlny was asked to ■ adviio as to whether a proviso' in see-, tion'll of the Shops and Offices Act en-: . titled'shopkeepers .to observo Saturday as' tho' weekly'naif-holiday,' oven though - ' someday other than Saturday had been appointed' as tho statutory closing day. • T<t this Mr. Findlay.' replied 'that ho wai clearly of opinion that any.occupier migat closo his shop on'. Saturday, . in litu of tho statutory closing day.. ; i[llio: sw:rctiiry,'stat«l,tliat f inquiry at " tho T Town" Clerk's offico had elicited tho ..information,that ho Tules made.by. tho .City Corporation' would invalidate ordin- • ary> signatures to tho fiotition'or signh-. • tuns in lead pencil. , It was reported that tho petition now bcavs 3SOO signatures.' : ,