THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1767, 30 May 1895, Page 3

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

(By Telegraph.) AUCKLAND, May 29. MrNorthcroft, S.M., held that section 9 of the Shops Act, requiring the local authority to fix a day m January next made the Act inoperative till January 1896, and dismissed the case against Badley, charged with neglect to close on Saturday. Later. Mr Northcroft said that the main question was when section 9 of the statute rendering it incumbent that a particular day be fixed for the half-holiday came into operation. The month of January next, m section 9, seemed to him to have clear reference to the month of January, 1896, and not to the montli of January, 1895. There was nothing inconsistent m the reading which he put upon section 9, for if the law was considered as it stood at the time of passing this Act it would be found provided that shop-keepers were to give assistants one half-holiday during each week, but no provision was made for the closing of shops. Section 3of the new Act carries legislation with regard to shops one step further, becauses it provides that shops must be closed for one half-holiday during each week. The Act of 1894 for the first time compelled the closing of shops, and it was reasonable that, before a day should be cornpulsorily fixed, there should be time which he thought the legislature had fixed at

twelve months m order to ascertain whal the wishes of the people were. The information against Badley for not closing on Saturday must, therefore, be dismissed.