THE SUMMER VACATIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20966, 4 March 1930, Page 10

THE SUMMER VACATIONS.

FEBRUARY AND MARCH SUGGESTED. SIR THOMAS SIDEY’S PROPOSAL. (Pee United Press Association.) , WELLINGTON, March 3. The holding of the long summer vacations in New Zealand during February and March instead of at the Christmas and New Year periods as at present was a suggestion advanced by the Attorneygeneral (Sir Thomas Sidey), when reviewing to-day the operation of the permanent Summer Time Act. Sir Thomas, who is ,Jmown to New Zealanders as the father of daylight saving, expressed the conviction that the country would never go back on summer time, but rather would supports its extension. The possibility of the half horn- being observed throughout the North Island all the year round was mentioned.

“ The period of summer time is drawing to a close and in less than a fortnight— on March 16 to be precise—the clocks will be put back by half on hour,” said Sir Thomas, ‘ ; lt will be generally agreed,” he continued, that weather conditions in New Zealand are, as a rule, much more settled in February and March than they are in December and January. Might it not he better to have only, say, two days’ holiday at Christmas and two days at New Year, or. at the most, a holiday of a week, and arrange for our schools to take their long summer vacation in February and running into March? The same suggestion applies to the long vacation of the Supreme Court and to the arrangements we make by -which there is a cessation of the meetings of various bodies at present during the month of January.” In reply to a question, Sir Thomas said the scheme he had proposed could apply to all cases, including factories, offices, and all classes of business bouses where holidays of two or three weeks were at present given. If Easter were fixed' for some date in March the lon| vacation might be so arranged as to commence in February and end on a date which would include the Easter holidays. “So far as the North Island is concerned,” added Sir Thomas, “there is no doubt that the half-hour’s daylight saving might be introduced without much inconvenience for all the year round. It would not, however, suit the southern portion of , New Zealand during the winter months."