WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9022, 29 October 1892, Page 3

WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY.

MEETING OP EMPLOYERS. A public meeting of employers, members of the Chamber of Commerce, and others into, rested, was held yesterday afternoon to consider what day of the week sßould be selected for the weekly half-holiday, provided for by the Shops, and Shops Assistants Act. Mr. A Porter presided, and about thirty gentlemen w«ere present. " The Chairman said that the meeting had convened ? himself as chairman of tne Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. A. H. Nathan as president of the Employers' Association, they having been waited on and asked that some steps should be taken to fix upon a particular day in the week. Already the wholesale houses, factories, etc., gave a half holiday on Saturday, but many retail tradesmen objected to that day. He believed that a petition was being signed in Karangahape Road in favour of Wednesday being the day fixed. Mr. A. H. Nathan was also of opinion that the question was i one for the consideration of retailers solely, but of course the Employers Association consisted of retailers as well as those engaged in wholesale businesses, and, therefore, they might to some ?, xten * ta * e notice of the matter. Ic seemed that Wednesday was the day looked upon with most favour •by ■ the retailers, and though many of them in -street had c .'s sed ,on Saturday for years, it was considered .by some a hardship that they should be deprived of the best day in the week. It was the day on which workmen generally were paid, and, therefore, the day on which they paid their -bills and spent their money. One thing to be bo cue in mind was that many shopkeepers did not employ any asistants at all, and they would be able to keep their premises open to the disadvantage oi those who would be compelled to close. 1 his might have the effect of driving a large proportion of trade from the big shops to the small ones. It was a question for the retailers, but he was afraid it would not be satisfactorily settled till the Government, having gone so far, went further still and declared which day the holiday should be on. Mr. Clark agreed that the auestion was 'one which purely concerned retailers, and therefore he wished to explain his action in the matter. He had been waited on, and asked if he would support a proposal that all employers should be asked to pay on Fridays instead of, as at present, on Saturdays. It had been the practice of his firm to pay on Friday, and they had found it to work very satisfactorily. He could not take any active part in having the day fixed, as the matter did not concern him, but if payment of wages on' Fridays would facilitate a satisfactory arrangement he would willingly assist in ensuring its general adoption. Mr. Hodgson said the main business of the meeting was to ascertain if it would be convenient for employers to pay on Friday. He would make one to wait on the employers to ascertain their views, but it would be well to have the opinion of that meeting first. Mr. Tkenwith said it would be a very great disadvantage to him to pay wages on 1' riday. In the first place it would keep him at work till seven or eight o'clock at night on if riday, and in the next place he would not be sure of seeing the men back at work on the Saturday. There were other reasons well known to those engaged in his trade. Mr. Green said he had tried the Friday payment system for twelve mouths, and had found it very inconvenient. Mr. R. Salmon said the butchers had practically decided to close on Wednesday afternoons, that being the day most convenient for their trade. If they closed on Saturday there would be complaints about the difficulty of obtaining meat for Sunday, complaints which would be made by workingmen especially, who were always the first to cry out if the holidays of others interfered with their convenience. .. . Mr. Bkadstreet said that most of the shopkeepers in his locality had decided to close v their shops on Wednesdays, beginning on Wednesday next. ! Mr. Rowe was of opinion that they would get no reform without compulsion. He believed that the half-holiday movement was reform in the risdit direction, but no proper arrangement would be arrived at till the day was fixed by law. Fourteen years ago the same thing had been tried that was proposed now, but one man had held out with the result that the thing had fallen through. Those who did close would be better able to ignore those who did not if the half-holiday were on Wednesday than if it were on Saturday. For this reason he thought he would be helping the movement forward to support Wednesday, although he was in favour of Saturday. . Mr. Ewington said he thought it would be a mistake for so important a meeting to give its moral support to any proposal that the Government should fix the day. Originally it had been intended that the selection ; of the day should be left to the local bodies, and that would not have been so bad as if the Government were to do it, since any alteration which was necessary could have been effected with less loss and delay. Mr. J. T. Garlick said that since Friday had been made market day, a great difference had come over Saturday evening trade in Queen-street; it was sometimes not worth the gas. As to payment of wages, he had decided to pay all his workmen on Friday, and he did not see why bootmakers should not also be paid on that day. The Chairman : Bootmakers have a saint to worship which cabinetmakers have not. Mr. Gari.ick said he supposed the chairman meant they worshipped Bacchus. If so, he was sure their places could be filled with men who would not do so; there were thousands of men in Melbourne, for instance, who would be glad of a chance to earn money and spend it properly. Besides, it was not right that all the trades should suffer for the misdeeds of one. Mr. Green repeated that he had tried Friday payments, and the system would not work. As to bootmakers,« they compared favourably with cabinetmakers, at anyrate. Mr. Wiseman said he had paid his men on Fridays for 14 years, aud he had found it answer very well indeed. Saturday seemed to him the natural and proper half-holiday, coining at the close of the week's work and preceding the day of rest. He hoped Saturday would be chosen for the sake of all. Mr. G. Fowlds said that he took more money in his business on Saturday after one o'clock than on any other day of the week. The only course that would ever be a success in connection with this movement would be to have a day fixed by law, on which all would be compelled to close. Mr. Abel : If the shops can be closed by the Government on Sundays, why not by the Government on Saturdays? Mr. Brown agreed that the only thing that would be satisfactory, would be to get the day fixed by law. He did not think the reasons given by Mr. Ewington against this course were sufficient. Saturday was the natural day for the working man's outgoing and sightseeing, and they looked forward to it as the cheap amusement of the week. That feeling was strong here, and nothing less than an Act of Parliament would ensure the closing of the shops on Saturday night. Mr. John Elliott said he was in favour of petitioning the Government to fix the day. Personally, he had decided to close on Saturdays. Mr. Ehrenfried said the question was not. what would suit Queen-street best, but what would suit the employes best, and there was no doubt in his mind that Saturday was the proper day. He had been sorry to hear that two gentlemen had employed men who would not turn up on Saturdays if paid on Fridays, men who could not be trusted with their week's wages. He believed that the people here were as sober and industrious as any in the world. Mr. Hodgson said the bootmakers were different now from what they had been at the time Mr. Green spoke of. Not one in the factory of his firm would lose an hour's work through drink. If anyone did, his place would be filled within the hour. There was not a more steady and industrious class of workmen in the city than the bootmakers. The Chairman said he would move, " That this meeting recommends employers to pay their men on Fridays instead of Saturdays." He felt ashamed that a certain statement had been made about a class of workmen iu Auckland. It was disgraceful to them if the statement were true that they were the drunken class they were said to be. Mr. Green said he had never for one moment intended to insinuate that the men got drunk. He had said nothing of that nature. Mr. H. Davy said it was owing to the majority of bootmakers being piece-workers, and to the amusements which were generally on on Saturdays, that they would not turn up if paid on Fridays. The motion was seconded by Mr. Hodgson, and on its being put and carried the meeting closed.