HOLIDAY QUESTIONS

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXVIII, Issue 31, 28 January 1933, Page 3

HOLIDAY QUESTIONS

NAPIER COMMISSIONER’S VIEW THURSDAY PENDING POLL i:i ■: <>,•:.mnep of the -T.itutory duty place:! unou them by the Shops and Orfices Act. the Napier Commissioners. M..'<sr.-. J. S. Barton and L. B. Campbell have fixed Thursday as the statutory half-holiday for Napier. The same decision has been reached by the Hastings Borough Council in .performance of a similar dutv cast on it I"' the statute. M-e question as to whether Thursday or S.ir.irmiy .-houlu the statutory haii-he’i'lay has been one of deep inUroM tshop-keepers, as the result of which two petitions were recently recoixmi by the Commissioners, one from the S-.turday supporters and the other f.., )rn Thursday supporters. Al thmigli the petition of the Saturday supporters contained the greater number of signatures, the Commissioners have dccided'to adhere to the Thursday Imdf-hoiiday. As Mr Barton pointed out to a “Herald” representative yesterday ai’ternoon. this was a majority of shopkeepers only, and there will be an opening for all the electors to express choir voices in the matter in 12 or 13 weeks. “Pri('r tr. the earthguake." ho said, “Saturday afternoon was the holiday, but after the earthquake practically all the -awards and portions of the Shops and Offices Act went by the board. By common consent certain things were thought to be best in the interest of the town, and such things were accordingly done, the authorities winking at them. Ono of these things was the adoption of Thursday afternoon as the holiday, instead of Saturday. This state of things was considered by Parliament in May. 1931. and the Earthquake Act provided that the Govcrnor-in-Council might alter the statutory half-holiday by making regulations. “An Order-in-Council required us to regularise the matter by the passing of a resolution which we did, adopting the abnormal conditions which weic still in evidence. “We had to decide the question ngain in January, 1932, when we adopted the same view and retained Thursday as the half-holiday because we considered that

affairs in the shopping quarter of’ the town were still abnormal. "Now, in January 1933, we are still ' of the opinion that conditions in Napier are not normal. In thv shopping , area of the town the Circumstance is one of transition from the old sites to the new. Further, there is an opening for all the electors to express their own voice in tho matter in 12 or 13 weeks. Tn those circumstances, wo deemed it wise to preserve the existing state of things.”