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

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 zeal 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.—(Hear.) 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 kept open ten or sixteen
hours a day, the public would require the same quantity
of goods. The demand depended not upon the number
of hours during which the purchases could be made, but
of the means of the public to purchase. No interest
would be interfered with or compromised by the reform
now proposed, while it would conduce to the comforts
and the physical and moral improvement of the assist-
ants in the greatest degree were it conceded. T. o be
successful, however, the movement must be carried on
not in opposition to, but in conjunction with, the shop-
keepers, and he would recommend that the employers
should be invited either to co-operate with the committee
of the assistants, or to form independent committees of
themselves, for the purpose of carrying out the object
in view. Another association—the Drapers' Society—
had shown great energy and much good judgment in
carrying out the object of limiting the hours of labour
as far as drapers' 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 deserving class of the community,
and expressing the sympathy of the meeting with the
efforts of this and other kindred societies to remedy the
means are thus brought so nearly to meet, it is not too