SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 126, 20 July 1911, Page 4

SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY

FOR COUNTY WORKMEN. At yesterday’s meeting of the County Council the Chairman said that for some time he had had it on his mind that the County workmen should have a weekly half-holiday on Saturday. By starting work half an hour earlier for eight months and by cutting down the dinner hour to half in hour for the remainder of the rear the men would make up three hours, and he thought the Council could give the men the remaining hour. He moved that with the object of providing a Saturday half-holi-day for the Council’s workmen the Council is of opinion that it is desirable that from August 20th to April 20th the work commence at 7.30 a.m. with one hour for dinner, work to cease at 5 p.m. on five days a week u:.d at one o’clock on Saturday, and from April 20th to August 20th work to commence at 8 a.m. and cease at "> p.m. on five days a week and at 1 o’clock on Saturday, dinner time to be half an hour ;the foreman to give on opinion to the Council as to how they view the scheme. Cr. Hathaway seconded. Cr. Marfell moved that the commencing time l)e 7.30 a.m. all the year round. , This was seconded by Cr. Walter. Cr. Thomson: I am disappointed that the matter has come up. There has been no enquiry about it. The Chairman: Oh, yes, there has. Cr. Thomson said he had never heard it. He thought the matter should be left over for the new council to deal with. Cr. Maxwell opposed the motion. He said it would be very well to tell the workmen that their week’s work had been reduced to forty-four hours, but the proposed scheme would never

;lo any good. The Chairman, in reply, said none of the objections advanced had any weight with him. The workmen had wives and children and they must want to go to town to spend a few social hours, as they observed everybody in the countryside doing. The proposed scheme for giving a half holiday was worked in several industries, and there seemed no reason why it should not obtain in connection with the County’s workers. The amendment in favour of starting at 7.-30.a.in. throughout the year was carried, and with this alteration \bo motion was carried, the dissentients being Crs. Thomson, Maxwell, and Christoffol.