The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-13 00:00:00

EARLY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.

The friends and promoters of the East London
Early Closing Movement met last evening at the
Beaumont Institution, for the purpose of making a
demonstration in favour of the above excellent pur-
pose. The proceedings consisted, as is usual on these
occasions, partly of speeches and partly of music,
the latter portion of the entertainment being pro-
vided by a choir of a hundred voices, under the
direction of Mr. Jules Benedict. The hall was well
occupied by friends of the movement, which deserves
the best encouragement from all who are interested
in the welfare of a large class of the population.
The chair was taken by Mr. C. R-,!ed, F.S.A.,
and he was supported, among others, by the follow-
ing gentlemen :—Mr. Walker, Captain Campbell,
Rev. M. Kennedy, Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. Hamilton, &c.

Letters of regret at unavoidable absence were
read from Messrs. Cohen, Veuables, Ealand, Clay-
ton, Lonsdale,

The Local Secretary (Mr. Wall) read a statement
of the proceedings during the week, which showed
in reference to the present statement of the move-
ment in the East-end of London, that the committee
had to deplore a retrogression on the part of some
of the drapery establishments in the Commercial-
road, owing to the withdrawal by one of the firms
from arrangements entered into in the spring of last
year, for closing on Saturday at seven instead of
nine o'clock. The committee had spared no pains
to obtain the revival of the original understanding,
and they thought it right to state that, in spite of
the defection ref erre I to, two of the large drapery
firms—Messrs. J. Crane and Co. and, Messrs. Bur-
dett and Ealand—had liberally maintained their
promise of closing at five o'clock on Saturdays.
With the exception of the woollen-drapers
and the leading ironmongers, who close at seven
o'clock, the following are the earliest hours of closing
at the present season in the various traies in the
Commercial and Mile-end-roads. The leading linen-
drapers close at eight (aud one firm, Messrs. 17-en-
ables and Sons, at seven) ; grocers at nine, cheese-
mongers at nine, hosiers at half-past nine, boot-
makers from nine to half-past nine, hatters at nine.
Amongst the later closing houses are some of the
drapery establishments, which remain open till be-
tween nine and ten o'clock. In summer the hours
are still later, extending, in the largest and most
favoured establishments, to later than nine o'clock.
The actual hour of release for the assistants being
nearly ten o'clock. On Saturdays Messrs. Yenables
close at two o'clock, and the other houses at three.
The leading ironmongers of Whitechapel close at
six; one of the leading linendrapers in Shoreditch
at four, and one in IVhitechapel at five ; two in the
Commercial-road at seven, other establishments at
eight. In other trades the hours arc eleven and
twelve. It is found that the late hours prevailing
in Whitechapel and Mile-end are found to seriously
retard the movement in the Commercial-road, and
luuk.;ll : et, remains to be done. The impo..tance of
the object iu view will be understood when we .*ay
that in the east of London there are 3,000 assistants
of both sexes in cornice inn with the retail trades,
who get released on an average at half past
nine o'clock, on ordinary nights, while
about two-thirds of that number are really
at leisure at the average hour of eleven
o'clock on Saturday nights, and of these the
young women are the greater sufferers, as in such
case they are the later of the two, being in many
instances not able to retire at the end of the week
till one o'clock on Sunday morning. The object of
the association is to secure the closing of the prin-
cipal shops at seven in the winter and eight o'clock
in the summer ; and they earnestly appeal to the
public to support the movement by abstaining from
shopping after the hours named.
The CHAIRMAN then, in a brief and fienhible