THURSDAY v. SATURDAY. ANOTHER BATTLE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 36, 12 February 1908, Page 8

THURSDAY v. SATURDAY. ANOTHER BATTLE.

WAXGANLTS DILEMMA. The perpetual 'baffle between" advocates or mid-week and Saturday statutory half -holidays was' responsible for the appearance of. a number oi' Wanganui townsmen in the ollice of the Hon. .1". A. Millar (Minister for Labour) to- | day. _ - y I , A poll in the borough icteally result- j ed in a majority for Uie ijciturciiiy jjn- j posal. However, the legality of ,the \ pofi was questioned and the grounds "of i objection were put' befoi'o th« -Miniate 1 i by the deputation to day. I Mr. A. 1). Willib submitted that tho. pojj had been ru.-lied, the people hid not been ready for the pell, liicic vns no -for tlic hurry at all; 'il'Fhiulil not ha\e been done, 'ihe .1,1 nuurs of tho Boiough Council were etjuji'y oivi&ed, and tho Mayor, evadmg his responsibility, had given his ousting vol<" in favour of having the matter referred to the Minister. Iho people whom the deputation represented desired to havo-j the difficulty settled in v constitutional | way. 'iho Act provided macninery ?or | a poll 011 a- petition of ten per. cent of the ratepayers, and- this course was desiicd. 'Lhe matter should remain ov«m for twehe months, , and Mien a }n 11 should be taken. Ihe town had managed all right for ten years with tha luursduy half-holiday, and rouid survive for another year Air. Lloyd Joc^a .presented petitions - from Wan^ttnui shopkeepers, inhabitants of \Van2anui (IC-tJU siguatureaj and residents of the suburbs (2Q(J) m favour of "Ihursday."'' He contended that the recant poll k had befn illegally taken, and that the substitution of "Saturday for Thursday ViOiild involve a loss of trade to many tradesmen. Be repeated arguments which weie made familiar to leaders of 'Jhe i'o&t iecently. Saturday in Wangauni was worth any other ;wo days in the week for business. Many people in Y> unganiu, recognising that tbe recent poll \'as an infornidl proceeding, had ab^tainul iiom voting. The Miuister stated that at present the lcrul authority could fix the lialiliolid ir ; a, poll could be taken only at the. time of elections ol councillors Tho recent poll in V.'anganui was nothing ; it v/as apptiicntly. taken only, to give the council an id^a of, tho people's desires. If a poll was properly taken at th-i proper tune it could be upset only by anj other poll. The whole trouble in Wangar.ui w\is that it was a combined district. However, h«* vould not giizetlp eithor Saturday or Thursday till ho had received the fullest information en the subject. • Mr. Willis again stated that a poll could be constitutionally taken in twelve months' time. The Minister announced that a number of Wangantii people had represented to him that they favoured Saturday. He desired only to act in accordance with the desires of a majority in the community. The fortnightly meeting of the Korokoro Band of Hope wus held in the school last night. There was a good attendance, and an excellent programme was contributed by Misses Jowett, Williams, Pomtrey, and Messrs. Delahunty, Pomfrey, and Jowett. Several choruses were sung in good &yle by those present. Mr. Hausc gave^ an address on "Eternal Riches." A mistake on the part of the Postal ! authorities caused a hitch in the proceedings of tho Congregational Union this week. Tho non-arrival of the annual report' from the Otago district was the subject of much comment. Mr. A. ■ Lewis announced this morning that ho had received the report, which had been posted in Dunedia on the sth February, but had been delivered to another Mr. Lewis, alfo resident at Oriental Bay. Hence the delay. Messrs. A. Samuel* and P. Brandon, who are motoring from Wellington to Rotorua, arrived at Napier this moinins;. They rcpoit that the roads are badly cut up, and that the country is full of bush fires. They were delayed at Kaikora by a broken wat-or-piie, but leave Kapicr en route to Kotoiua- to-morrow.