SHOP HOURS TO-MORROW.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 13 May 1925, Page 4

SHOP HOURS TO-MORROW.

POSITION IN HAWERA

CLOSING IN AFTERNOON. AT places of business will be closed in Hawera to-morrow 'afternoon on the occasion of the funeral of the late Mr Massey. Residents in town and country are also .asked to cease all forms of activity for ten minutes from one o.’clock. All railways and telegraphs throughout New Zealand will be at a standstill for those ten minutes. This morning town and county clerks received the following telegram from Sir Francis Bell, Aoting-Prime Minister, the-, me-siaage having been lodged in Wellington ait II o’clock last night: ‘‘Ministers will he glad if you will invite citizens to close their places of business on Thursday, 14th inst., on the occasion of the funeral of the late Mr. Massey, it would also be appreciated if citizens were asked to cease all activities for ten minutes from 1 p.m.

When the question of suitable public service of the hate Prime Minister’s funeral day was raised in Hawera at the beginning of the week, those in charge of affairs wished to do the right thing, and the Mayor (Mr. E. A. Pacey) got into touch with both New Plymouth and Wanganui to ~ find out what was being done there. New Plymouth was waiting a lead from Wellington, and Wanganui had decided to close on Thursday, afternoon. As it was desired .to. have something more definite to go upon, the Town Clerk (Mr H. S. Elliott) yesterday morning sent an urgent telegram to the Under-Secretary for Interna l . Affairs, asking what was expected in the way of closing on Thursday. Meanwhile the Mayor conferred with Cr. W. C. Gilbert in his capacity as president of the Retailers’ Association, and when the middle of the afternoon came without any reply from' Wellington. it was decided to ask business people to close their premises at noon, and that decision was advertised in the Star last night. This- morning the Town CPerlc received a reply to his telegram, indicating the wish of Ministers as set out above. It- would have been possible to alter the earlier decision and to ask that business premises in, Hawera close all day on Thursday, but the townsfolk could not have been advised of the change in plans until this evening’s paper, and. this being a half-holiday, there would be a grave danger of shortage of bread, and perhaps meat, in many homes before Friday. It would scarcely have been treating th e people fairly to close the shops on them, and both the Mayor and members of the Retailers’ Association agreed that the best plan in the circumstances would he to adhere to the original, plan. Had tlie Government’s request been received a. day earlier the position would have been different; but when it came so late to a town ha vine: .the Wednesday half-holiday no other course of action than that being taken was at all practicable.