SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 113, 9 November 1910, Page 8

SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

EFFECT UPON BUSINESS IN SYDNEY. "What is tho effect of the compulsory Saturday afternoon holiday upon your business?"' This was the question pu*; b\ a reporter to several representative business men in Sydney. The unanimous answers (says the Telegraph) was one that betoken satisfaction. No shopkeeper had noticed any damaging effect business. It merely meant that the big shopping day of the week was changed from Saturday to Friday. The 'same story was told by drapers, grocers, and boot salesmen. It was patent that a change of shopping night would not mean a diminution of .trade. As expected, it has resulted in not only the transference in the main of business to Friday night, but Monday is a bigger day, and the tendency of trade is to spend more equally over the week. Of course, matters have not settled down yet, and it is remarakable (adds the Telegraph) to find the shopkeepers' reports so satisfactory when it is remembered that only two closing Saturdays have been experienced, and Doth Friday nights have been more or less wet. Doubtless very many people did not know of, or forgot, the new arrangementy and came into town to shop on Saturday night. Another important factor is that many employers have not altered their pay-day from Saturday. When_ this is done all round the Friday shopping will become a more natural event. The chief trouble remaining is that some shops close at 9 p.m. on Fridays, and others at 10 p.m. The 10 o'clock business people were asked whether closing at 9 o'clock would mean any loss of trade. On the point, ''again, the answer was singularly unanimous. Providing the 9 o'clock closing was made compulsory,, no loss was anticipated. "We could close just as easily at 9 as at 10," said one grocer. "No matter what hour was closing time, a certain class makes a practice of rushing into purchase goods at the last minute. The advantage of 9 o'clock closing _,was stated to be that the shop-workers would be enabled to get home early enough to get sufficient rest not to mako a demand upon the next morning. From the employees' point of view, the Saturday half-holiday is a popular innovation. "All I have to Bay," said one store manager, "is that it is a great boon. My employees are fresh for work on Monday. Personally, on Monday morning I feel like a new man, and as if I had had a week's holiday; the Saturday afternoon is a real holiday ; there is time to forget business and to enjoy some pleasures of life." This opinion was general, and Saturday afternopn shopping can be regarded "as gone for ever. From enquiries amongst a few whole sale firms, it was found that the new half-holiday was also satisfactory from their point of view. The trade that was formerly done in a rush fashion on Saturday mornings is now distributed over the whole week, and Friday morning is the busiest.

The electric power station being installed by the Waihi Gold-mining Company at tne Hora Hora Falls lor th» purpose of supplying power at its works at Waihi will be in full running order in about two years' time. In stating this to an Auckland Herald representative, Mr. H. P. Buery, superintendent of tho Waihi mine, who has just returned from England, added that the company was installing six turbines, each of 1500 h.p., at Hora Hora, and each would be coupled direct with a generator of simHar capacity. He hoped that the bulk of the heavy machinery would arrive in New Zealand by next summer, and that it would thus be carted to Ih^ site when the roads were good. The power developed would, he said, be transmitted to Waihi by means of six copper wires. The company would probably require the whole of the power to be generated. Petone's new ambulance waggon, which is housed by the Borough Council, will be in charge of a controlling committee, consisting of the following -.—The Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan), representing the borough; W. S. Smith, Foresters, W. B. Gough, Druids; C. P. Brocklebank, Oddfellows' lodge; W. Cox, St. John Ambulance; Petone division ; Mrs. Bennett, St. John Ambulance, nursing division ; and Messrs. Evans, Greening, and Mrs. Corner, the public of Petone. Mr. M'Ewan has been appointed chairman, Mr. Gough secretary, and Mr. Smith treasurer. By the death at the Bluff last Friday of "Dan" Wilson, at the age of 92 years", the Dominion loses one of its earliest pioneers (says ihe Dunedin Star). Wilson was a French-Canadian by birth, haying ben born at Halifax in 1818, thus living under six Sovereigns. After serving in a Halifax sailing fleet he joined a French man-of-war, which happened to be orderpd to Australian waters in 1845, but while the vessel was at Hobart Wilson deserted, and stowed away in a New Zealand whaler, the Flying Tennet, later transferring to Paddy Gilroy's barque Post Boy at George Sound, and so> reached the Bluff, where he has remained during the intervening sixty-five years, following the callings of whaling and fishing. Wilson was one of the few remaining surface men who assisted in laying the Bluff-Invercargill railway lii-e in the "sixties." The Nelson Mail reports that at a meeting of the Nelson Harbour Board on Monday that the Railway Department now owed the Board £2350 in connection with the dredging done at the wharf for the Department. The Department has been very dilatory in paying the board the money advanced for the dredging. It was pointed out that the Board had now to pay interest on overdraft, beca-use the Railway Department would not pay up, and it' was felt tliat this was an injustice, and not fair to 'the ratepayers. The chairman remarked that if the Department did not pay jThe Board would have to borrow another £1000 on its debentures, and there would be then n, permanent charge on the Board. An old Southland settler died this week in the person of Mr. R. M. M'Callum, farmer, of Edendale, m his 72nd year, reports the Southland News. Deceased was manager for the New Zealand and Australian Land Company for some years, this being over forty years ago, and . subsequently took up farming on his own account at Edendale, where he had remained till the time of his death. He had been a member of the Southland County Council ior 29 years, first joining that body on 23rd November, 1881, and retiring on 25th November, 1908. He had also been chairman for four years, in 1884", 1897, 1900, and 1904. Deceased was one of the most valued members of the council during his long term of service. A Renter message dated Santiago de Chile, 22nd September, runs : The newspapers are all commenting on a speech on the Argentine Minister for Foreign Affairs, who, referring to the fraternity between Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, said: "We are the three strongest nations. We must direct South America on the path of peace and progress. Other countries will see a powerful guarantee for liberty and justice in this triple friendship." The Papers think the speech foreshadowed the political union of tho three nations, i