TOO MANY HOLIDAYS

Otago Witness, Issue 3525, 4 October 1921, Page 47

TOO MANY HOLIDAYS

(Fbom Oub Own Correspondent.) < lIRISTC III'RCH, September 27. Dominion Day was celebrated yesterday ir, Christchurch in the same half-and-half fashion as was the ease in other cities. There is general opinion that public holidays should be observed by all or not at all. The list of statutory holidays is too long, said a business man to a Star reporter. Many could be done without, and the rest should be observed by everyone. When Government offices and banks are closed and other institutions have to keep open, the result is disorganisation of business. Another commercial man suggested that saints’ days should be dropped otr the oalennar for a start. "Why Governmentservants who are Irishmen should knock off work on St. Andrew’s Day I cannot understand. It's only a piece of red tape handed down through the ages.” "When you come along to a Government office and find it closed, don't blame the officials,” said a departmental head. ‘‘We didn’t fix the holidays; Parliament does that, and the people are responsible for Parliament. Certainly some of the holidays are useless to us. They lead to heavier work next <lay. Arrears pile up, and we get further and further behind.” While ready enough to take every holiday given him. a member < f the legal prof, ssion said '" he closingdown craze jiad reached the limit. Court work was held up, and sittings had to be postponed because of some foolish statutory provision about holidays. Dominion be strictly observed, but there were other holidays hardly worth rernemb* ing In < 'a:.:: ja Dominion Day was a real holiday.” Let He tsinen keep Hi Andrew’s Day, Irishmen ko 0 St. Patrick's Day. Kuglishrtn-.. keep H: G-mre's Day. tilt- Welsh keep St. Da\ id’s Day. and we could ail be ■lie t of another suggestion. A P ! to ibar ■ :i\ should meet with the approval of r - ill Houses. We ought to tu' < niooi ;■ crabbing rare meetings, and. go i.e b !o the jolly festivals on the birthday.- of our patron saints.