HALF-HOLIDAY QUESTION.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 14189, 25 April 1919, Page 4

HALF-HOLIDAY QUESTION.

(To the Editor.)

Sir —Your leader in Wednesday’s paper says that the opponents of Saturday half-holiday have put no logical reasons for the retention of the Wednesday holiday. With your kind permission I will point out a few of the reasons which make me a supporter of the present arrangement. Firstly: Palmerston is the centre of the flaxmilling industry, which employs some hundreds of hands a number of miles from the town. These men cease work cn Saturday about 11 o’clock, and practically 'without exception they all come to town to make their weekly purchases, and it would be almost impossible for them to do their shopping at any other time. Secondly: In. the event of Saturday half-holiday being the rule, the next best day for Palmerston for market day would be Friday, and this would clash with Feilding’s stock sale day. Thirdly: The farmer wants to bring his children into town to refit them with clothes, and tho only day he has the chance is on Saturday, owing to school being held every other dav in tho week. I was in Christchurch when Saturday closing came into force, and the experience of the small traders was anything but a happy one. Take the stria l ! goods butchers ’ shops for instance. Under the new rule one shop alone did less business on tho Friday, Friday night and Saturday (all day) than they had done, on the Saturdays alone previously The small traders suffered considerably to the advantage of the bigger businesses. Surely the people of Palmerston arc not. going to commit another blunder like the moving of the saleyards right away from the town, and drive more business to Feilding, for that is what will happen in the event of Palmerston carrying Saturday, and supposing that Feilding carries the mid-week holiday. I trust that the electors of Palmerston are not going to carry out the eld whisky maxim slightly altered: “If holidays interfere with business, thou give up business.” —I am. etc., W. B. O ’CALLAGHAN.