Nelson Evening Mail FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1903. THE SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL. THE SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY CLAUSES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 150, 17 July 1903, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1903. THE SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL. THE SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY CLAUSES.

THE Premier's Shops and Offices Bill, a summary of which appeared in these columns a day or two ago, is the fourth attempt made by Mr Seddon to consolidate in his own fashion the law relating to shops and offices. The measure in its bill form is therefore quite an "old friend," but on each occasion of its introduction it has been altered in details, till its original shape has been merged in amendments. It is curious and remarkable that after his many years of political experience and his close familiarity with law-making the Premier seems unable to cast a measure that need not be so changed and hacked about as to render each revision almost a new departure — but Mr Sdddon is a suprome opportunist, and that explains a good deal. It will be remembered that when the Shops and Offices Rill was first introduced in HiOfl there was much protest, especially from employees in offices, whom half tiie measure was ostensibly devised to benefit. This class of employee bogged and prayed that they might be left alone, chiefly lest they should lose their situations, or at least, sacrifice the. cordial mutual relations between employer and employed. The force of public opinion was too strong for the Premier at the time, and' the Hill, though not dropped, was virtually shelved. Thereafter, the Bill has come on the order paper each year, in a more or less different form, and each year some inherent defect in it has necessitated practical withdrawal. • • • The Dill now before the House ' has been moderated and amended so considerably I,'iat the majority of its provisions are unobjectionable. But Ft contains a drastic proposal which, if deemed vital to the measure, will wreck it by the force of circumstances and environment. That is to say. the compul- i sory universal Saturday half-holi-day proposed by Mr Soddon is already encountering a storm of op- j position from reiailers, and t.'ie House, or the Council if not the House, will he unable to withstand it. Tt is curious that this opposition comes in the face of the fact (hat all are agreed that a universal Saturday hal-holiday would be a very good thing indeed for all concerned, both employer and .nuploycd. The continuous rest from Saturday afternoon till Monday morning ; the doing away with the break in the middle of the week now found inconvenient by many, and often of little use as a holiday; the anomaly of wholesale warehouses, (iovernment offices, banks, and the Custom House closing early on Saturdays, while the shops make of it the longest day in the week — these are obvious reasons why, if practicable, the statutory half-holiday should be observed on the one day by all. But one- buy to reckon with the circumstance that, under outclass of labour mdst always cater to another. Jt is the very fact of so many thousands taking the Saturday half-holiday that renders it next to impossible for the thousands of the other half af the working coiumunily to take it also. In smaller places, such as Kelson, the day might be observed as a halfholiday by mutual arrangement. But in the larger centres it is beyond dispute that loss would be entailed on one side, and inconvenience on the other. Hence, no hard-and-fast rule, of a compulsory universal half-holiday can be 'laid down, for the principle, plausible as it may bp, is politically and industrially unsound. ♦ * # We make this admission as strong and consistent advocates of the Saturday half-holiday where possible, and it is worth noting that other newspapers of the colony, who are also strongly in favour of the Saturday where practicable, are taking the line of argument that the old custom of more than half the community making Suturday afternoon and evening the recognised shopping pcri.od .of Uie week is too strongly established to be broken easily. lietailers naturally cling to existing conditions because change, even if the people adapt themselves to it in tjme, must entail a great deal of loss till such adaptation becomes general. But there is more than that, for it js doubtful if any evening other than Saturday will ever altogether suit everybody. The observant must notice the Saturday night thronging of the business streets of towns both large and small. Most of those who so assemble spend some- : t.hing, even if only a few pence in '•'fairings," and the whole of such ppendings goes into the tills of the J shops. li there could be some guarantee that in the course of ■ time some other night or evening '< would become established for the ] gathering of these .Saturday crowds ] the obstacle in the way of a Saturday universal half-holiday would bje j removed. But it is obvious thAt if 1 the Saturday night nromenading of * the business streets ceased no other * night could take its place, and the 2 custom would simply die out. We j are not discussing t.lve right or wrong of the custom, nor are we a entering into the issue that labour, p which professes comradeshin and t unity should show consideration d -or all kinds of workers and make *' some sacrifices. We are merely 9 pointing to existing conditions . which constitute ingrained British custom The fact that the multifarious callings of the comjnunity rest on Sunday enables the industrial classes to promenade the \ E streets on Saturday evening. The a] fact that payment of wages is a] usually made on the day of the week before the weekly break for tc rest gives a motive to such pro- fc. menading by enabling families to di make their purchases and pay their

lly day in the week on which the ajority of working men can af>rd to take a late-night. On every ther day they must seek their heds loderately early in order to rise arly next morning. Thus, too, imilies have only that one evening Saturday) on which they can be ogether at leisure without the alls of the coming day dem aiding he performance of the usual routne of the week night, In the imaller communities most of the oregoing conditions can generally le rearranged. In the large centres such rearrangement is pract ijally impossible. Hence a compulsory Saturday half-holiday is simply out of the question. In short, a compulsory half-holiday on Monday forenoon would really be far more practicable and answer tho purpose quite as well. * * * Tt, will be admitted that the Premier's Bill, amended though it has been from time to time to suit, still has an inherent defect that must either prevent its passage into law, or inflict on many thousands of the community considerable inconvenience, dislocation of pustom and loss. The indications are that public opinion, as vo.ltd by the retailers, will be too strong for the Premier. Therefore, unless he can make his provision for the Sahis four-year-old measure ma> turday half-holiday more elastic F.'iare the fate of its prototypes anh become mere waste paper — am cqstly waste paper at that.