MONDAYISING HOLIDAYS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12253, 2 June 1914, Page 2

MONDAYISING HOLIDAYS.

OPINIONS IN CTIRISTCHUECTI

Per Press Association. Cliristehurch. J imc 1.

' A few .years a'go a strong Agitation was organised, throughout ;Xew Zealand bv various interested parties to secure what' was known us tht» ••M.ondayiaing'' ol' holidays which did not fall ution that, day. This \va? in imiiation o: a movement in Victoria which had achieved a. certain amount of success. In consequence of that agitation a measure wa< introduced into Parliament which granted the concession in respect of both Labor l)r,y and Dominion Day. The measure as originally brought down proposed that the King's birthday should also be observed on tiie subsi i|i!citt Monday when it fell on any other day. but:, this -proposal was modified in conimiitee to permitting the holiday 10 be observed on Monday when the correct date chanced to be Sunday. The proposal Thai: when public holidays fall on week days other than Monday they shouid be observed on the next following Monday was at the last quarterly meeting -of the Chamber of Commerce, when, on the motion oi Mr J. 0. Jameson, it was resolved to .suggest that thai, course be a'dopted. This morning reporter interviewed a number of local people interested to see what they thong' t of the proposition. Very early in the investigation ■it was discovered that tile change could he made only by legislative action. Quite apart from the operations ol the Public Holidays Act o: HMO. the granting of holidays is governed in a great number of cases by awards of the Arbitration Court. In the Canterbury district there are nearly 70 awards which grant the King's Birthday as a hohday.

A strong supporter of the change was found in Mr Cvrtis Williams, oi the Lyttelton Harbor'.Board. A mid-week holiday. lie declared, "upsets everything in big business. Yon have a fixed day lor the operation of various branches o! your business, and important matters are generally fixed for the middle of the week'. A- mid-week holiday interleros drastically with such arrangements aiid ■spoils the whole week. From a general business point of view a Monday holiday disturbs things less than a holiday upon any other "day,'and ik is now beinggenerally adopted in Australia, Loth from the employers' point of view-and the workers', the Monday holiday is an advantage. An Act of Parliament could surely be devised to make the necessary "alterations. Even in the.case of the King's Birthday a postponement, would do.no harm, even from a sentimental reason. If it falls upon a Sun-, day our loyaltv has to be postponed to the next day, and no harm is done. Another sunoorier of the change was fonncl in Air P. -Main. prcsidept ol the Grocers' Association. He said he thought the change would ba advantageous, and would in no way ailed, the retail trade. It gave the employees a lon gov we&k-ciidj avid t iin t u'ould ni every way be appreciated from trie point of view -of labor. Mr H. Hunter welcomed vejirincipie of "Mondayish! a" holidays. "1 have no objection to holidays being observed on Monday," he said. "In the interests ol all parties it would be an advantage. So far as the Sovereign's birthday is concerned wo are at present bound, because the awards give us .that as a holiday ard make no provision lor-oui taking it upon a Monday except when it falls upon a Sunday. A long weekoiul sv.ch -is laflor'loil by lioliuc\\ on Monday is a benefit to both the employer.. and employee. as ii gives a chance of a longer spell. _ Other people concerned m the grocery and bntcherv trade were inclined to rtfvee that the Mondav observance of a holiday was preferable to one m the middl ■of the week. Nolle thomrhL that the difficulty of securing supplies to last from Saturday midday to 'luesday morning was an insuperable one.