The polling reveals the fact that the mind of the community is divided on the question in a way that leaves a comparatively small balance in favour of changing the holiday from the Wednesday to the Saturday, a majority of over 1000 votes in that direction having been recorded over the whole district out of a poll of nearly twenty thousand.
Those electors, constituting a large section of the community, who have been averse to a change from the practice hitherto obtaining as regards the half-holiday for shops, must, of course, accept the verdict of the majority of the electors with the best grace they can command.
The supporters of the change have expressed their judgement on the matter with the knowledge that the Saturday half-holiday has been introduced in the dominion in two large centres Christchurch and Auckland - and in so large a city also as Melbourne.
It appears, moreover, that the Saturday half-holiday is likely to be tried in Wellington for the ensuing term.
The local community will have now at all events an opportunity of forming its own conclusion upon the merits of the various arguments which have been adduced on one side or the other in the controversy that has raged around the subject.
• Sixty-eight applications for relief came before the last meeting of the Charitable Aid Committee of the Auckland Hospital Board, and all were dealt with on individual merits.
Referring to this at his meeting in Devonport, Mr W. Wallace, who is seeking re-election to the board, said that the public would be amazed if they knew of the number of cases that came before the committee of young women who had been deserted by their husbands.
There were 10 or 12 such cases at every meeting.
He protested vigorously against the attitude of the Government in refusing to take steps to bring deserting husbands to justice unless the board guaranteed the expense.
The undesirable result was that the man almost always got off scot free, and there was an inducement of others to offend in the same direction.
• A resident of Musselburgh writes to us: ''I notice in your locals this morning a report from Bushey Park of a slight earthquake shock at 4.30 p.m. on Sunday last. A decided shock was also felt at exactly the same time and day at Musselburgh. We were sitting and talking, and first noticed a large mirror hanging over the mantelpiece starting to swing, and then the electric light fitting also swayed, and we distinctly felt the swaying motion. There were four of us in the room, and we called out to three others in another room, who also felt the shock.''
The occurrence of the shock was recorded in our issue of Monday.
• LONDON: After a day's hard fighting in difficult country our troops have landed in the Gallipoli Peninsula, and thoroughly made good their footing with the effective help of the navy.
The French have taken 500 prisoners.
It is officially announced in Cairo that the Allies forces have effected a landing on both sides of the Dardanelles under excellent conditions.
Our forces are continuing their advance. - ODT, 29.4.1915.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
