SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19391, 28 July 1926, Page 8

SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.

Sir,—All broadminded and . tolerant people will welcome the assurance that there is no intention on the part of Parliament to enforce a universal Saturday halfholiday.' When your correspondent, ''Business and Progress," estimates that 90 per cent, of the shop assistants would vote for a universal Saturday half-holiday, I fear he understates the percentage that would do so, but does he expect us to assume that their action would be prompted by altogether disinterested' motives and. a desire to promote the general good -? Unfortunately he expends all his sympathy and consideration oh one class and fails to recognise that there are three sections ;of the community . that are affected by the choice of the half-holiday, namely, .the shopkeepers, the assistants and the customers or buying public (the last being by far the Jargest class) and any arrangement that does not give due regard to. the interests and conveniences of all three must prove unsatisfactory. He also fails io recognise the most important point of all that, from a purchasing point of view the community is divided into two classes—-those that can shop on any day of the week and those who can do their business only on Saturday afternoon. Possibly "Business and Progress" belongs to the former class. His letter .supplies sufficient reasons why a compulsory Saturday half, holiday. snouH not be proclaimed as it.goes to show: |a) That some towns \yan.t Parliament to do for them what they are afraid, to do for themselves; (b) that many places retain the mid-week halfholiday despite the preference of 90 per cent, of the assistants for the .week-end, thus proving that in those places the dominant factor is the shopkeeper and the customer, and that a diversity of interest exists; (c) that there is a demand on the part of the public for opportunity to shop on Saturday afternoon, as shown by their action in shopping in other towns when denied the privilege of doing so in their own. He proposes to apply coercion to bring about universal peace, goodwill and general satisfaction. I advocate tolerance, a fuller recognition of and compliance with the law of sunplv and demand and adherence to the principle. Live and Let Live.