SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY | MOVEMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 40, 17 February 1911, Page 8

SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY | MOVEMENT.

„<t»., .. „.. Mr. Reyling, secretary to tho Trades' Council, which body has the movement in hand, reports that signatures to the Saturday half-holiday petition are coming in "somewhat slower than was expected. The tally, however, is steadily mounting up, close upon 3000 out of a required total of 4000 signatures having been obtained. There are still a great number of lists to be &ent in, so the aggregate may be appreciably swelled. Speaking to a Post reporter, Mr. Reyling laid stress upon the fact (mentioned by a correspondent in our columns yesterday) that in the event of a poll being taken and a majority of votes cast in favour of the Wednesday afternoon, tho day chosen would be observed as the statutory half-holiday in the full sense of the term. The significance of this was that the shopkeepers who have already availed themselves of the option of closing on Saturday afternoon would be compelled, in common with the rest of their kind, to revert back to the observance of Wednesday. In ignorance of, this fact, some of the tradesmen in question were, he said, not troubling to - exert themselves in the direction of fostering the present movement. Under the circumstances, in their own interests it behoved., them to lend the Saturday half-holiday agitation their active support.

The first annual meeting of the le-cently-fomied, Wellington" branch of the Newman Society of New Zealand is to be held early in April next. The objects of the society, as set out in the. draft constitution, include the promotion of higher Catholic education, tho leavening of the general Catholic body by such education, and the refutation ot" calumnies on the Church. These objects ar& to be attained by the preparation, reading, and discussing of papers dealing with history, literature, science, and art, by the delivering of lectures, holding of debates, establishment of reading circles, interchange, of articles between various, branches of the society, and by social reunions. The Auckland branch of the society, which is now firmly established, has extended to all members of the Wellington branch, and to all Catholic young men and women who are interested in the work of the society, an invitation to visit Auckland (as guests of the Auckland branch) during the coming Easter holidays. An extensive programme of entertainment has been prepared, and all visiting members will be billeted by friends of the Auckland branch. A special notice regarding the salvage nale to be held at Messrs. James Smith's, Cuba-street, to-morrow, ig advetnsed in this issue. A meeting with the object of forming a coursing club will bo hold in tho >.ew Zealander Hotel to-morrow evening.