THE SIX DAY WEEK.

Southland Times, Issue 17620, 7 April 1914, Page 4

THE SIX DAY WEEK.

The general comment upon the decision o£ the Arbitration Court that employees in restaurants and hotels must be given at least one clear day off duty in seven will he that ‘'it was bound to come.” Of course conditions in hotels cannot he governed by the regulations applied to employment in what may be called week-day trades, for from the nature of the business work in hotels must go on for seven days in the week year in and year out. For this reason the court has hitherto hesitated to reduce the working week of each member of an hotel staff to six days, and Parliament has refused to deal with the problem by legislation. Cast year, however. Parliament got rid of its difficulty by recommending the. Arbitration Court wherever possible to bring the six-day week into operation, and the Court has announced its intention of accepting the direction of Parliament as mandatory. It seems practically certain, therefore, that hotel, restaurant and boarding-house keepers throughout the dominion will have to prepare themselves for an alteration in their conditions of work. In all probability the change will involve them in some expense, since if working hours are reduced the staffs will have to be proportionately increased. Some hardship mav even be imposed, but nevertheless it seems unreasonable to expect men or women to work seven days a week in any occupation, and it should be possible to carry on any branch of trade on the six day week basis. If the added expense is considerable the employers affected will probably find a means of readjusting the balance between expenditure and receipts. But whatever changes the six day week principle may involve, its recognition “was bound to come,” for public sentiment is undoubtedly against the seven day week in any circumstances.