SUMMER TIME SUCCESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19799, 21 November 1927, Page 11

SUMMER TIME SUCCESS.

appreciation in city. experience in business. OLD OBJECTIONS DISAPPEARING. ! After fourteen days' trial of the Summer Time Act, business people, even most of the formerly disgruntled restaurant proprietors, are at one with indoor workers in general in acclaiming the change a success. It will be remembered that the principal outcry against the measure immediately after it came into operation on Sunday morning, Ncvember 6, was heard from the management of restaurants and tearooms. They claimed they were losing business by the action of many theatres in opening at 8.30, which had the effect, since trams did not run later than usual, ot limiting the time at the disposal of theatre patrons for supper. Now that a majority of picture theatres have reverted to starting the evening programme at 7.45 or 8 o'clock, one of the principal complaints against daylight saving has disappeared. There remains, in theory at least, the contention that country folk, whose farming occupations will not wait on "summer time," do not come to town as frequently as before. But in many quarters of rural activity have come reports that the man on the land has not been unduly inconvenienced, if at all, in any perceptible degree. It' may be generally assumed that the average farmer does not spend his money lavishly in luxuries. He has his necessary purchases to make in the city, and even were it true that he came less often to town, that would not affect the volume of business of the houses he deafs with, for on his rarer trips he must of necessity fill his requirements by larger orders. To what must be a relatively small degree, some of the tearooms might lose a proportion of their old country patronage So might picture theatre matinees. A principal of one of the largest trading concerns in New Zealand, doing the great bulk of its business with the farmers, 6aid on Saturday that "summer time" had m no way affected the turnover. He treated lightly the outcry against the Act on the part of a section ol the rural community, and said that within the past few days a great number of farmers had told him cheerfully that they had accepted the new order of things with equanimity and after a trial they had found it good, lie repeated the point emphasised by Mr Si('«v in his wirnlpss address championing the Act—that to Aucklanders uayng..i aavutg uui,) meant, really that the people here enjoyed conditions which always obtained in southern parts of New Zealand. Although it is difficult for managers of sports goods depots to gauge just what effect the longer "play hour" is having on the demand" for sports goods, they regard as axiomatic that one result will be larger purchases. Some say that is already manifest. Others are equally confident it will be, and all welcome the "extra hour." "It just follows naturally that people will be more in the open and that they will need more clothes for outdoor wear where fashions make their play," was the view of a departmental manager of one of the largest dress emporiums on Queen Street. It would, he added, bo stating the obvious to say the staff were greater friends than ever of Mr. Sidey.