THE LABOUR WORLD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1189, 14 December 1894, Page 35

THE LABOUR WORLD.

THE WEEKLY HALF-HOLIDAY.

A meeting of shop assistants convened by the hon secretary of the Early Closing Association to consider the half-holiday question was held on Monday at the Exchange Buildings. About fifty were present, the rather small meeting room being packed to excess.: Mr Henry Martin, who was voted to the chair, said there appeared to be a diveisity of opinion amongst the assistants as to which was the most suitable afternoon, some preferring Wednesday and others Saturday. It had been suggested that a ballot should be taken, and that a petition embodying the result should be presented to the City Council at its next meeting. Mr G. B. Clark said that, so far as ha had been able to ascertain, the majority of the assistants employed in establishments south of Manner street were in favour of the Wednesday half-holiday, while the assistants working in Lambton quay and other establishments north of Manners street seemed to prefer a Saturday halfholiday. Steps should be taken to elicit a thoroughly representative expression of opinion from each shop before any petition was drawn up. A canvass might be made for that purpose. The meeting was not representative. The Chairman thought it was a representative meeting. He was more than surprised at the number who were present. Mr W. Simm expressed his opinion that the meeting was not of a representative character and that it certainly had not been sufficiently made public. Of those present the representatives from Te Aro House formed but a small minority. He was sure a very large number of assistants were in favour of allowing the half-holiday to remain as it was at present—on Wednesday. Mr H. Evans pointed out that the Factories Act prescribed the closing of all factories on Saturday afternoon, and that in the case of many shops attached to factories there was no good in keeping open after the factory was closed. Consequently the Saturday half-holiday would best suit these cases.

Mr J. G-. Chambers agreed with MrSimm that sufficient notice of the meeting had not been given. He felt that the public were strongly 'in favour of the Saturday half-holiday. He did not believe anyone would suffer a shilling’s loss by the general adoption of the Saturday holiday. Mr J. 0. Libby objected to the proposal to elicit an expression of opinion by individual canvassing as being obsolete. It was a representative meeting, and a vote should be taken at once. Mr Chambers proposed that the meeting should proceed to an immediate ballot.

Mr J. Dawson seconded the proposition. Mr Simm moved, as an amendment, €t That a ballet be not taken to-night.” Mr R. Roberts said this was the largest early closing meeting he had yet attended, and as for taking a ballot, their last ballot had been a farce.

Mr Postgate spoke to a similar effect. Mr J. B. Taylor, who seconded the amendment, agreed with Mr Simm that it was not a representative meeting. The selection of Saturday meant a late Friday nig-ht, which would unfit them for enjoying the Saturday. Mr Libby remarked that a stranger listening to the speakers who complained that the" meeting had not been sufficiently notified would imagine the shop assistants did not read the papers, because the meeting had been advertised in both the Wellington papers. The amendment was then put and only obtained four votes, while the motion to take an immediate ballot was declared carried by a large majority. While the ballot was being taken, the Chairman said that, speaking as a family man, the superiority of the Saturday halfholiday lay in the fact that one could take out his children with him for some recreation, whereas in the. case of the Wednesday holiday one was naturally disinclined to interfere with his children’s schooling and therefore was prevented from enjoying his holiday with his family. The ballot having been completed the result was announced to be :

For Saturday... ... ... 39. For Wednesday ... ... 3. It was decided to write to the Council communicating the result of the ballot. The meeting closed with votes of thanks to the press and the chairman.

The Department of Labour are sending 16 unemployed men from Christchurch and 4 from Wellington to road works at Wairoa, in the Hawke’s Bay district. The usual weekly meeting of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council was lield last week, Mr Allan Ward (president) dn the chair. The question of recommending the City Council to appoint a meat inspector was again discussed, and it was •eventually resolved to adjourn the matter for' a month in order to see if the City Council would take any action when the Abattoirs and Slaughterhouses Act came into force. The secretary made a statement with reference to the way in which "the provisions of the Industrial Coneilia"iiion and Arbitration Act would affect the various Unions.

Mr Edward Tregear, Secretary of the Department of Labour, who has'just returned from a trip to the South, undertaken chiefly with a view of impressing Upon branch officers the differences between the former Labour Acts and those "which were passed last session, imforms us that the pressure of finding work for the unemployed in that part of the Colony is now relaxed, shearing being in full swing and a good deal of farming work being available. There is no real destitution in the South at present. In Invercargill the number of genuine unemployed applying for assistance from the Government was -very much overstated, as upon investigation the number of deserving cases turned out to be exceedingly small. Speaking generally Southland appears to be in a better condition than Otago from the labour point of view, and Christchurch is looking up. After Christmas Mr Tregear will make a tour, through the North Island on business similar to that which took him South five or six weeks ago.

At the meeting of the .Board of Management of the Wellington Typographical Society on Saturday night, the resignation of Mr D. P. Fisher, as president, was accepted, and Mr R. E. Yaney (vice-presi-dent) was elected to fill the vacancy. Mr J. Muir was elected as vice-president. . The board also resolved to 1 call a general meeting of the Society at an early date, to consider the late president’s missionary tour through the Wairarapa, Wanganui and Hawke’s Bay districts to try and induce printers to join the Society, and as a result of which Mr D. P. Fisher has resigned.