AS USUAL

Northern Advocate, 12 June 1935, Page 9

AS USUAL

HIKURANGI HALF-DAY. SHOPS CLOSE TOMORROW TOWN BOARD’S POSITION.

Shops in Hikurangi will close as usual tomorrow afternoon and remain open all day on Saturday.

A fortnight ago the businessmen of the town met to decide whether they would fall into line with Whangarei in the observance 1 of the week-end holiday. The chairman of the Town Board, Mr R. Nesbitt, presided, and the town clerk, Mr C. E. O’Callaghan, was also present by invitation. After lengthy discussion, a resolution was passed almost unanimously that Hikurangi should switch over to Saturday closing on June 15, a week after Whangarei. Similar trading hours were to be observed. Of those who voted at that meeting, two were in the dark, not having received the sanction of their principals. One cast his vote in favour of the change and the other for the retention | of Thursday. A few days later they received instructions from their principals to continue the observance of Thursday closing. The resolution carried at the preliminary meeting was not binding, and as the arrangement had been broken, another meeting was held last night, and was presided over by Mr J. N. Stark. A deadlock was reached, no vote being taken, and as the result Thursday closing will continue as at present.

However, the Town Board will fix the statutory half-day next January, and is practically pledged to adopt Saturday. ,

Several years ago a resolution was carried that, as soon as Whangarei decided to alter the half-day, Hikurangi would fall in line. It was then considered unfair to introduce Saturday closing in Hikurangi, while Whangarei business places remained open. The Hikurangi Town Board, on two occasions, has forwarded remits to municipal conferences, urging the adoption of universal statutory closing on Saturday;