NOT A MISTAKE

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXI, Issue 8834, 19 October 1942, Page 2

NOT A MISTAKE

FRIDAY NIGHT CLOSING MORRINSVILLE OPINIONS “NO INCONVENIENCE CAUSED” “ Expressing surprise at a paragraph which appeared in a recent issue of the Morrinsville star indicating that a Morrinsville farmer had mentioned “an al-niost-endlcss stream of traffic going to Te Aroha on a recent Friday night” and that “the Mor- • rinsville shopkeepers had made a mistake in closing at six o’clock on that night,” a prominent Morrinsville businessman has stated to a Star representative that the matter was gone into very thoroughly before a change was made. Inquiries from his customers, especially the country ones, had been'made by the businessman referred to before he had agreed to the change. He added that for some months previous to the adoption of the new shopping hours Friday night .business had been very slack, and farmers who had been interviewed had stated that they lacked the benzine which allowed •'.hem to come into Morrinsville on Friday evenings. Consequently staffs were standing about with nothing to do and a tally taken by his firm had disclosed that over a number of Friday nights sales had barely averaged one for each member of the staff between the hours of six and nine o’clock.

Matter For Fuel Controller In view of this, he asked, why the almost-endless stream of cars going to Te Aroha simply because the shops of Morrinsville close at six o’clock ? If it was a fact that so many people had benzine to go to Te Aroha to shop it seemed to be a matter for the oil fuel controller. Numerous inquiries since the adoption of the new shopping hours on Fridays had failed to find one person who was inconvenienced by the change. The businessman referred to stated that he served an increasing number of Te Aroha customers every . week, customers who managed to get. to Morrinsville in spite of Friday, night closing. Many in conversatioh had stated -that they came to Morz'insvillebecause the shops here had a better range of goods than those at Te Aroha.

Throughout the many years he had been in business in Morrinsville the gentleman interviewed stated that he had endeavoured to boost 'the town and the traders generally had given an excellent service. The remarks made by the farmer, as reported in the Star, almost gave the impression that he had an axe to grind. In closing the interview the businessman stated that since early Friday closing had come into force his figures .had not suffered in the slightest. Much Brisker Than Formerly "We-are certainly quite happy with the position as it is,” commented the manager of a Morrinsville grocery establishment when the matter was referred to him. “If anything business has shown an improving tendency, with the Friday trade much brisker than formerly,” he added. The busy period of Friday was much longer than experienced in pre-six o’clock closing days, and it was seldom that a lull was known between the hours of 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m., at which time business was by no means dead. The slack periods which were a normal part of the ordinary Friday had definitely gone and the executive concerned was certain that in his trade at least the town had not lost business through the change. A third businessman and one who conducts an entirely different type of business from those mentioned above, commented that at no time was Friday night trading an advantage to him. The bulk of his Friday customers were country folk and since the change-over Saturday morning business had shown a considerable increase. Definitely there had been no change in the weekly turnover which, if anything, had increased.