The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1910. HOLIDAYS.

Southland Times, Issue 14578, 19 November 1910, Page 4

The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1910. HOLIDAYS.

One of the most welcome of the belated bills that are now being introduced by the Government to provide employment for Parliament until the Mine Committee is able to bring its enquiry to a conclusion is the Public Holidays Bill, which is intended to introduce a measure of order into the observance of public holidays. The Bill definitely fixes the date of a number of holidays in regard to which there is at present some doubt and uncertainty in the public mind. Labour Day. for instance, is fixed for the fourth Monday in October, and the reason given, namely that the second Wednesday in October is too early in the season, certainly applies with force in this part of New Zealand. The fourth Monday in May is set apart for the Observance of Empire Day, and the date is probably selected as being the nearest practicable date to the

birthday of the late Queen Victoria with whose name Empire Day is closely associated. The Bill proposes to make the fourth Monday in September a statutory holiday, as Dominion Day, to commemorate the elevation of New Zealand from the status of a colony to that of a dominion. It is also proposed to repeal the schedule of the Banking Act and to revise the list of bank holidays with a view to bringing them more nearly into line with the holidays observed in other branches of business. In these respects the Bill has everything to commend it, and there can scarcely be any doubt but that it will command the support of the majority of the members of Parliament. The most notable feature of the Bill is, however, the proposal to make Monday the general day for all holidays. The actual calendar dates of the anniversaries are not to be the holidays, which are to be observed on the Mondays of the weeks in which the dates fall. This is an exceedingly sensible and practicable proposal for more than one reason. In the first place it adds considerably to the value of the holidays, for it ensures a break of two days in the routine of work. It gives those engaged in business larger liberty, enabling them to go out of town over Sunday and Monday, or to enjoy their Monday holiday with greater refreshment after the Sunday rest. Furthermore, it minimises the inconvenience caused by the interruption of work. It is a universal experience that a holiday taken in the middle of the week causes a certain amount of disorganisation, and the observance of all holidays on Mondays will have the effect of making the interference less serious. We understand that it is the practice in some of the Australian States to keep nearly all holidays on Mondays, and that the plan works smoothly and is appreciated by the people. The Bill, so far as it goes, is a useful measure, and it is to be hoped that it will be passed into law. Our only regret is that it does not go further. It is time, we think, that the Government took the opinion of the House on the question of the universal Saturday half - holiday. At the Xjresent time there is a wide diversity of practice throughout the Dominion with respect to the observance of the weekly half-holiday, and public opinion In favour of a universal Saturday is steadily growing. Monday holidays would be still more highly appreciated if the shutters were put up on the shops at 1 o’clock on Saturday.No doubt the Government is deterred from introducing legislation with respect to Saturday by the apprehension that the time is not yet ripe for it, and that the majority of the people still prefer to fix their half-holiday on the day of the week most convenient to themselves and most suitable to local customs. Still a discussion on the proposal in the House would be useful, more especially as additional evidence in favour of the Saturday half-holiday has recently become available. Both in Melbourne and in Sydney the compulsory Saturday halfholiday was enforced by Parliament despite a lot of public clamour that it would ruin the small shopkeepers, reduce the volume of business, and seriously interfere with domestic arrangements of those people whose custom it had been tor years to pay their weekly visits to tbe markets on Saturday afternoons and evenings. In both cities experience has proved that all these fears were groundless and the universal Saturday half-holi-day is now looked upon as one of the greatest boons the public enjoys. We have but little doubt that the same result would follow from the experiment in this colony, and that the Government which passed a universal Saturday half-holiday Bill would earn the gratitude of the people. However, half a loaf is a good deal better than no bread, and for that reason the Public Holidays Bill is very welcome and we hope that it will be passed.