Chapter Thirty-Four Changing the Dates The counties grew alarmed by the fall in attendances. In 1947, the number who paid for admission totalled 2,200,910. In ten years it dropped to 1,174,079 and in 1965 to 659,560. Restlessly some of the clubs sought fresh faces at holiday times but the biggest upheaval to the traditional fixtures was brought about by wider issues which were not of cricket’s doing. In the immediate post-war years, hardly anybody went abroad for their holidays and the tourist industry began pressing the Government to extend the holiday season. Many factories and coal mines had a ‘shutdown or factory’ fortnight which was often the last week in July and the first week in August. Together with the Bank Holiday, this put pressure on the road and rail systems and the seaside resorts, with a consequent high demand for accommodation over a seven or 10 day period, since few families spent a fortnight away. Whitsuntide created a different problem. The summer half-term usually fell in the holiday week and with many pupils taking exams, difficulties arose. Something more stable than a moveable holiday was mooted. Thus began the campaign to extend the holiday pattern over a longer period. A Government steering committee for the staggering of holidays was established. Various suggestions were considered – the second week in June, the end of August or the beginning of September and so on – and rejected. By 1960 the weight of statistical evidence was becoming overwhelming. From 1951 to 1959 the number of holidaymakers had risen from 23 million to 27.5 million, with 9.5 million taking their break in August 1959 compared with 7.25 million in 1951. The hotel and travel trade urged the government to move August Bank Holiday to the end of the month and fix a date for a Spring Bank Holiday which did not have to be anchored to a religious festival. It recommended that school exams should be finished by mid-May and school holidays staggered on a regular basis. The Government sought the opinion of the workers and trades unions and set up another working party. In July 1963 a White Paper on Staggered Holidays was laid before Parliament and views were expressed by a variety of organisations and the public. It was Sir Alec Douglas-Home’s Conservative administration which finally bit the bullet. On Wednesday 4 March 1964, Edward Heath, the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development and President of the Board of Trade, made a statement to the Commons. He said the response to the White Paper indicated that everything possible should be done to alleviate the congestion at the peak of the holiday season. “The scope for direct intervention in this field is limited, but the Government consider that they should give a lead wherein it lies within their power,” said Mr Heath. “Our further consultations have confirmed the view that a fixed Spring Bank Holiday and a later August Bank Holiday could make a worthwhile contribution to the extension of the holiday season and to the avoidance of congestion for 178