THE HALF-HOLIDAY QUESTION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10015, 13 June 1895, Page 4

THE HALF-HOLIDAY QUESTION.

JUDGE KICHMOND'S RULING.

[BY TELEGRAPH.]

Wellington, Wednesday.

Judge Richmond delivered judgment this morning in the appeal against conviction from Greytown under the Shops and Shop Assistants' Act. There were three objecllous, the first being that "January next" mnst be taken to mean Junnary, 1896. His Honor hold It was plain such an Interpretation violates the ordinary rules of grammatical constrnolion. Prima facie every instrument speaks from its date or time of execution. Authorities had been quoted in favor ct the construction sought to be applied, but one of thorn (Rlchnrds v. M'Brlde) was a distinct authority against those who quoted It, The other oase (Wood v. Klley) had no real bearing on tha present case. His Honor said he had therefore ho hesitation in overruling the objection. Tbe next objection was that! in the Conrs hi'ow tho maglitrrJ.C: (it'mitlccl ';!>': Gazelle of January SMtli, ISOo, coutuiu trg a notilicatlon by tlu Minister of Labor thau Saturday hi,d bfiou .unpointed tho half-holiday for Qroytowu. The provision!: regaruuiß tlio production of the Go-Ufii did not) apply U> an isolated borough like Greytown, but r.Jy to grouped uinuloipaHtieu, where the ■ Jglnieteruppolctedt'uo day. Thisobjectioa

he allowed. The last objection was as to the sufficiency of the appointment] of the day at the special meeiiagof 'he Borough Council on January 7th, it being urged that the meeting was not duly advertised in the manner prescribed by tbe Shops Act. After going exhaustively into the oirenmatances attending the convening of tho meeting, bis Honor said he must hold that it waa insufficiently advertised. The advertisement oi January 3rd waa tco late, and the previous advertisements were premature, because at the time they were inserted the Act had not come into operation. Tho omission was a fatal one. and made thu appointment of Saturday as a holiday la Graytown Invalid. The conviction must be quashed. No costs wero allowed. - !