THE WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14978, 26 April 1909, Page 9

THE WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY.

.•1 i-W.: ■ TO THE EDITOR. • Sir.—As a comparatively recent arri-."'fail-in New Zealand I take a very keen piht'eissst in the question of Saturday i’.tQrSus Thursday closing. I resided for ft groat number of years in Brisbane, and dm ing that time witnessed the Establishment of Saturday as a compul|sory half-holiday in that town and its Surrounding districts. Speaking strictly from the customers’ standpoint, I must Bay I consider the arrangement an improvement. For the first few weeks it was certainly an embarrassment to find oneself utterly unable to procure on Saturday afternoon the drapery or grocery necessary, which one required to help one over the week-end. However, experience is a good teacher, and Wo soon settled down to the new order of things. Although my occupation, in any case, would have provided me /With a Saturday half-holiday, I found Friday night amply sufficient opportur'ty for my purchases. In fact I, and think many others, benefited by the rule of Saturday closing. There were no shops to buy in, there was nothing to do in town, consequently wo all went out of town. That was good for the trams. As to the business aspect of night, I have never since. I arrived in Christchurch seen the shops go busy as they were in Brisbane on Friday night. Busy 1 Why, they bummed like so many beehives. Saturday- morning was comparatively quiet, certainly, but by ono o’clock the employees were free for their glorious day-nncl-a-half’s recuperation, to return on Monday refreshed and well able to take "up their daily burden. From a humanitarian, standpoint, in my opinion, Saturday closing is tho oniy rational Bourse.— -I am, , etc-, B. TO THE EDITOR Sir,—ln regard to the half-holiday, it seems passing strange that its advocatea should make such a point of impressing' on the public that, providing

Thursday is carried, it will not affect thoso who already have ■ Saturday. Therefore they need not be afraid of voting for Thursday. This makes it seem that Saturday must bo a great boon to those who already possess it. And so it follows that it will be a great boon to tho Thursday people if they manage to secure it.—l am, etc., NEUTRAL.