The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-26 00:00:00

CL:ERkEIVWELL.

RAILWAY BUSI:7F7BS.—Mr. Joshua Archer, an engra-
ver, residing in Southampton-terrace, Pentonville, ap-
peared to answer the complaint of Mr. Stockley, another
engraver, of St. Martin's-lane and Great Russell-street,
for not delivering up certain plates, upon which the plans
and sections of railways were engraved.
Mr. Ripon appeared for the complainant, and Mr.
Wakeling for Mr. Archer.
Mr. Ripon said his complaint was, that Mr. Archer
had not delivered up plates of the Cambridge and Lin-
coln Extension Railway and of the Doncaster Branch,
which had been given to him for engraving on last Mon-
day week. Mr. Stockley and Mr. Archer had done
business together for a considerable time, and it very
much surprised him that Mr. Archer had not acted with
the same punctuality on this as on former occasions.
The time for lodging the plans and sections in the Par-
liamentary-office would expire on the 29th instant, so
that the delay became tenfold more serious.
Mr. GREENWOOD asked why the plates were not deli-
vered up? Mr. Wakeling said the plates were then with-
in the precincts of the Conrt, and be would quickly ex-
plain why they bad not been delivered. His client should
have been the complainant or prosecutor on the present
occasion, and in truth he would be so ; for en the pre-
vious day he had taken out a warrant for the apprehen-
sion of one of Mr. Archer's workmen, who had been
induced to leave his master's employment, and who was
now in the employment of Mr. Wilde, of Charing-cross,
the engraver. His client had been under the impression
that Mr. Stockley had, with another person named
Philips, been privy to inducing two of his (Mr. Archer's)
men to leave him, and the whole had much the
appearance of a conspiracy. Mr. Stockley was a good
deal employed by Mr. Wilde, and Mr. Archer assisted
him. Recently, however, Mr. Archer had got a great
deal of other railway business to do ; and although he
employed fifty men, the loss of t:co efficient hands, such
as Loosell and Weddell, who had been spirited, away,
would be Much felt, and cause much embarrassment,
particularly as the period by which all the r;:rilway plans
for the ensuing session must be deposited was so close at
hand.
Mr. Ripon said he could not account for the delay, hut
it was supposed that Mr. Archer bad been engaged for
some rival companies.
Mr. GREENWOOD said, he thought that if a Parlia-
mentary Committee were informed that either party had
withheld the plans and sections of the other, or were
privy to such a practice, it would take care that no ad-
vantage should be gained by such proceeding.
Mr. Wakeling said if that charge rested anywhere, it
was upon the other side. Mr. Archer would be seriously
injured by the withdrawal of these men. The Company
had lost nothing, for the plates were now in readiness,
but would not be delivered up unless the amount of Mr.
Archer's claim, 201., was liquidated.
Mr. Ripon was about entering into the case, and called
Mr. Stockley as a witness to prove the delivery of the
plates.
Mr. Wakeling objected. In the first place, the Magis-
trate had no jurisdiction where the amount was above
151.; and, secondly, Mr. Stockley could not by the Act
be allowed to prove his own case.
Mr. GREENWOOD dismissed the complaint.

EARLY CLOSING OF SHOPS.
A public meeting, convened by the London General
Association of all Trades for the Early Closing of
Shops, was held yesterday evening, in the theatre of the
'Western Institution, Leicester-square, in furtherance of
the objects of the association.
General Sir DE LACY EVANS, K.C.8., took the chair,
and having explained the objects for which the meeting
was called, and expressed his full concurrence in them,
observed that within the last half century a great im-
pulse had been given to the trade and commerce of this
country, and immense advantages over rival nations had
been obtained ; it was a question, however, whether that
impulse had not in some cases been carried to extremes,
and whether our real in the pursuit of wealth had not
deprived a large portion of the population of those bene •
fits and. comforts which the like classes in other countries
enjoyed.—(llear.) In the manufacturing districts exer-
tions had been made to limit the hours of labour by
means of the Ten Hours' Bill. Many arguments had
been urged against legislative interference as between
master and workmen for restricting the hours of labour
in factories. It was said, if you want that the master
shall employ his workmen only ten hours a day, instead
of fourteen or fifteen, the amount of wages must be re-
duced, as a smaller quantity of goods would necessarily
be produced. That objection, however, did not apply in
the present case ; for, whether the shops in this metro-
polis and other great cities were kcpt open ten or sixteen
hours a day, the public would require the same quantity
of goGN, The demand depended not upon the number
of hours (kring which the Purchases could be made, but
of the mewl of the public to purchase. No interest
would be intert;:cd with or compromised by the reform
hoW proposed, while s t would conduce to the comforts
and the physical and mom_ were improvement of the assist-
were it conceded. To be
ants in the greatest degree
ant
.must be carried on
sueeessful, however, the moven,. with, the shop-
not in opposition to, but iu conjune,:lon the employers
keepers, and he would recommend tha: 'he committee
should be invited either to co-operate with -nitteesof
of the assistants, or to form independent coms object
themselves, for the purpose of carrying out the
.1
in view. Another association—the Drapers Seeley,
had shown great energy and much good judgment la
carrying out the object of limiting the hours of labour
as far as drapeis' assistants were concerned ; but he
hoped to'see them unite with their brother assistants of
other trades in carrying out the common object.—(Hear.)
He was glad to see that at a recent meeting of the
Drapers' Society Lord Robert Grosvenor had presided ;
and he would advise the general association to send a
deputation to that nobleman, inviting him to co-operate
with them, as well as with the drapers, in their endea-
vours to limit the hours of attendance in shops. His
Hon. Friend, Mr. Williams, the Member for Coventry,
had promised to attend, if possible, and move one of the
resolutions. He regretted he was not present, but he
would probably be present before the termination of the
meeting.
Mr. LEE moved, and Dr. Errs seconded a resolution,
declaring the uselessness of the practice of late shopping,
deprecating the physical and moral injury it entails on
an industrious and deservin.; cl of the community,,
and expressing the sympathy of the meeting with the
efforts of this and other kindred societies to remedy the
means are thud brought so nearly to meet, it is not too