THE HALF=HOLIDAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1107, 21 April 1911, Page 8

THE HALF=HOLIDAY.

THE WEDNESDAY CAMPAIGN. NOW COMMENCING. Although the Labour party advocates of the compulsory Saturday half-holiday for shops have thus far occupied a lonely prominence in stirring up interest, in the Approaching poll on'the half-holiday question, advocates of Wednesday do not. intend to allow their case to go by default. There exists in Wellington, a " W'edm-.-dny Half-holiday Association," which iw>s n membership of about and every member is a shopkeeper. Although tire proprietors of the big shops lining Lninbiiiii Quay do not. belong lo the n>.-<M'ial imi, il numbers in its iiii'inbcrship many traders in a large way of business. A peculiar feature, brought out by the present campaign, is that many shopkeepers in departments of trade wit it-It are exempt under the Shops and Ollicos Act from observance of the Saturday halfholiday, have contributed liberally lo the fighting funds of the Wednesday tion.From to-day (ho campaign in favour of Wednesday will be carried on vigorously by advertisement and in other ways. A placard has been prepared, to be displayed in shop windows, in which the arguments in favour of Wednesday closing are marshalled in imposing array. Speaking to a reporter yesterday, Mr. S. J. Gibbons (secretory of the Wednesday Association) stated that ho regarded the Labour agitation in favour of Saturday closing for shops as preliminary lo an attempt to obtain a five-day working week. That the Labour people would not be .content with obtaining the Saturday halfholiday alone, Mr." Gibbons continued, was suggested by the recent action of the Labour party in Melbourne. Saturday closing has been in force in the Victorian city for two years. Last month the Labour party inaugurated an attempt to abolish late trading on Friday evening. Mr. Gibbons contends that, while the Saturday half-holiday is all right in the case of factories, Saturday evening trading by the shops harmonises very well with existing conditions. Friday night trading, he considers, would not provide a substitute for the trading now conducted 011 Saturday evening. Women of the poorer class, he remarked, would not go out to shop after completing their household round on an ordinary week-day. As to Saturday morning, it was notoriously the busiest time of the week with the wives of working men. Practically, said Mr. Gibbons, the effect of introducing compulsory Saturday closing would be thai; shopkeepers in seven main departments of trade would have lo close, while traders in eleven main departments would he exempt from closing, under the provisions of the Shop and Offices Act. These exemptions, Mr. Gibbons maintains, have not been justly framed. Among the traders exempted, for instance, are photographers. The exemption provision ..was also unjust in smaller details. Barrow-hawk-ers of fruit, and other commodities, would have to abandon Saturday evening trading, and so would ordinary vendors of newspapers, including those who have stalls at various points in the city. The wharf bookstall, however, and tho Tarious station bookstalls would be ixempt. In this particular matter the Government seemed inclined to create a monopoly in its own interest. It is anticipated that a very strong "women's vote" will.ho registered against tho proposed introduction of the Saturday half-holiday. Tho supporters of Wednesday claim that women, particularly of tho working class, are acutely ■ sensible, of the inconvenience they would suffer if Saturday' closing became the rule.. Hence it is believed that they will combat the proposal with all their might. COUNCIL CANDIDATES APPROACHED. .] The following letter is being addressed to each of the candidates for municipal honours by tho New Zealand Shopkeepers' Association (which body strongly advocates the Wednesday half-holiday'as it at present exists) :— ; "I am instructed by the Executive Committee of-this association to - ascertain from you your views-regarding tho halfholiday question for shops. The members of the above association, and at least 90 per cent, of tho shopkeepers of this city, are against compulsory closing by' a vote of. the people. The section of tho Shops and Offices Act which allows tho shopkeeper to choose cither Wednesday or Saturday, as best suits his business, is considered more equitable. Tho Act further provides for tho council once in each year to fix the statutory holiday. If Wednesday is selected the shops can close either on Wednesday or 011 Saturday. If tho council fixes Saturday every shop not .exempted must observe that day. We therefore ask you, if returned to this City Council, whether you would, as former councils .have dene, vote for the retention of Wednesday as the statutory holiday for shops.—Yours faithfully, "H. F. ALLEN, Secretary."