THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12995, 10 December 1902, Page 2

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

TO THE EDITOR. , Sir,—We hear a. good deal of talk and Ijoise about 'half-holidays on. Thursdays and half-holidays on Saturdays from gentlemen who seldom ever agitate for anything for any class except themselves. One would have thought that after obtaining a half-holiday for number one they would have turned their attention to the agricultural workers and done what they could 1 to have helped them in that direction. These men work longer hours and a good deal harder thain does the gentleman shop assistant. But, of course I was forgetting that moleskin, is not black cloth, and the latter cannot mix With anything inferior, j There is another question that is more important by far ..than a Thursday or Saturday half-holi-day. It is to see that men who are out of work and want it shall have it on application to the Government. Is it not a crying* dastardly shame that a young man had to give himself up to the police after walking from the West Coast, because he could get nothing to do, and was discharged ’ from custody only oh giving an assurance that he would do his best to get work? Some short time ago I went bond for a young fellow’s passage through the Government to the sahie place, arid after a period I received ai letter in which he said he had no heart to Write before* as when he arrived he found plenty of men that had nothing to do, and this in a mining district from which we have riot been able to get sufficient coal for our use. He is a.i miner not very long front hdriie. I again ask if this unemployed problem is not of greater importance than a particular half--holiday for gentlemen in black? The best way to settle the question is for the people to vote on it. The greatest number should be nonsuited. —I am, etc., G. BARTY, TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Wall you allow me to draw attention to one very serious aspect of this question? I am a small employer, and close to me are two others, who, under the present law, will be compelled to close on Saturday afternoon, Should the present ajritation be successful. Bound-about our three shops are some nineteen or twenty smaller shops still, and they express the hope that Saturday Will be carried, as they will then be enabled to select their afternoon other than Saturday, and so catch all the casual business which will certainly be going. I think you will see that the possible result of the change, while under the present law, Will just be the transferring of a lot of cash business from those who are legitimately carrying on business for their living into the hands of those who, while other members of the family (perhaps the hilsbarid included) are Working at other trades, are just using their little business is a means of getting their goods at wholeiale prices and helping to pay their rent. Phase people, I say, will bo able to take full -advantage Of the holiday and keep open, as they do now, till eleven and iwelve on a Saturday night. You may say that people will nob deal with them; but [ may tell you that just those people who ire how agitating for the change are the smes who will do their on closing Jay. On Thursday night last, I saw a tradesman who lives outside the belt very Enthusiastic on the change. I have no Joubt it will pay him to get it, os, any Thursday you like, if you pass his closed ijiop, arid Watch a while, you will see kits >f good* coming from his back door. These ire the tradesmen who -will support the :hange. For my part, I trust that it will lot come about, unless it is made absolutely Compulsory for every place of business to close at tho same hour and on the same lay,*—l am, etc., ANXIOUS. / TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—din your remarks concerning the costing of tradesmen held in the Chamber if Commerce on Monday afternoon, you mapluia that Mr Sorensen did nob explain

where the large amount of trade that is at present tdono on Saturday would go to if all trades closed on that day. Allow me to point out that it is not for the Saturday traders to say where this trade would go to. They simply have to prove that a very large cash trade is being done, which I think they have proved very conclusively, and they naturally ask, why should such a large and remunerative trade be disturbed, and 1 who is to gain by it? Do you propose altering the holiday of tho working man so that he will have an opportunity of doing his shopping on some other after-noon? If not, when k he to ■do his shopping ? The present Thursday half-holiday is a most convenient day. It suits almost every trade. I am led to believe that wherever Saturday has been tried it has proved a failure. If so, it is not surprising, because of necessity a large number of trades must be exempt on that day.—l am, etc., 'A SATURDAY TRADER. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln your report of the meeting of those xn favour of the Thursday half-holi-day, I observe that Mr Congreve took a prominent part, and! evidently has been working hard against those in favour of a universal Saturday half-holiday. This I can scarcely understand, after his action •at the Chamber of Commerce meeting on the pievious Friday, -where, according to report contained in your paper of Dec, 6, he seconded' Mr Kaye’s amendment to Mr Struther’s motion. Mr Kaye’s amendment was—“ That the Government he asked to fix a half-holiday fox- the whole colony, preference being given to Saturday.” Assuming your reports arc correct, I cannot understand Mr Congreve's action—l am, etc., puzzled! to The EDITOR. Sir,—l think that the City Council have for some years past ignored the opinions of the large majority of tho citizens of Christchurch by fixing Thursday as the half-holidny for shops instead of Saturday. If they do so again for the ensuing year I trust the electors will ask Parliament to step in and either fix a universal half-holi-day or order a plebiscite of the people to; decide the matter.—l am,’ etc., SHOP ASSISTANT. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Referring to meeting of Thursday half-holiday sympathisers, reported in your paper this day, I wonder how many of the employers who attended said meeting would give their employees a half-holiday at all if they were not compelled to do so by law ? I know a number of them who keep their assistants to 3.30, 10 and 10.30 p.m. on Saturday evenings. I trust that when our Parliament next amends the Shops Act they will fix 9 p.m. as the closing hour on the late night for tho week, whichever night that is to be, and so put an end to such long hours.—l am,etc., ; SHOP ASSISTANT. TO THE EDITOR. , Sir,—ln reference to- the retailers' meeting held to discuss the liailf-holiduy question, I hope that the people will not tolerate tho idea of crediting the number who attended that meeting as wholly representative of tho small retail tradtens of Christchurch, bub will, on the other hand, take them as being representative of those few people in the community whose bump of avarice far exceeds the average proportion. Some admit that their trade on a Saturday i« five times that of any other business day in the week. But they did not tell that their carters are to be heard knocking people up at the unearthly hour of twelve on Saturday night, and one on Sunday morning, delivering goods, and this in the furthest suburban boroughs. Yet these thoughtful individuals are concerned about preserving the interests of the small shopkeepers, arid say that beneficial results to the pbpole as a whole come from such a system. As a small retailer, and one who is already feeling the effects of the outreaching tentacles of some of the mono-

polistic monsters who opposed the change, I feel certain, that the inauguration of the Saturday half-holiday would have a tenMency to distribute the trade these monopolies previously enjoyed. Hence, such strenuous opposition from theiri. The change would bo conducive to the best interests of, the, smaller shopkeepers, as it would allow fifty to make an existence instead of a favoured and capitalistic unit. Last, hut by no means leaist, tho mental' and physical benefits which, would be derived from it, by the colony’s best asset, its flesh and blood, cannot be obtained under the existing system. The change ought to command the unanimous approval of all Democrats.—l am, etc., W. KILGOUR.