The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-03-29 00:00:00

SHOPKEEPERS' ASSISTANTS.

A numerous meeting of Shopkeepers' Assistants, con-
vened by circulars extensively distributed, was held on Wed-
nesday evening, at the Clarendon-rooms, South John-street.
At nine o'clock Mr. Ray was unanimously called upon to
preside. On taking the chair, he observed that when they
last met there, they did so with strong feelings of anticipa-
tion that the views they had then before them would be car-
ried into full effect. A portion of those views was to have the
shops in which they were employed closed at an earlier hour
than was at that time customary. Having succeeded in ac-
complishing that object, their next duty was to establish an
institution for the benefit of the classes who received this in-

dulgence. He was extremely sorry that their views in this
respect were not carried out to the full extent that he desired,
or that a due sense of their own interests should have led him
to expect. The failure of their project, so far, was a matter
of serious complaint amongst their employers generally, but
more particularly amongst those who were most active in the
establishment of the institution. Under such circumstances

the committee resolved upon calling them together with a
view to direct their attention to this subject, in which they
were all so deeply interested. When he first advocated the
early closing of shops' he did so with the hope that if the
hours were mitigated they would be spent in a profitable
manner. He was sorry, however, to say that of the shop-
keepers' assistants geherally, great as were their numbers,
not more than 200 had as yet joined the institution. The
committee were in consequence obliged to appeal to their
employers to do something to give more weight and respecta-
bility to it, and they came forward manfully and generously
contributed to place it on a better footing. They formed a
directory of 12, upon whom were to devolve the management
awl superintendance of the institution. When the institution
was first established it had a peculiar name, that many con-
sidered was exclusive in its nature. It was called the Dra-
pers' Assistants' Institution, but as objections were taken to
this title, the directors deemed it advisable to alter it to the
Tradesmen's Institution, so as to embrace not only all shop-
keeper's assistants, but any other class that might think
proper to join them. As he had already observed, their em-
ployerS came forward and established a directory in order to
give weight and authority to the institution, but he must, as
he felt to be his duty, tell the meeting faithfully and with
perfect sincerity, that, uhless the institution be supported
as it was expected it would be, by the shopkeepers' assistants,
who, on that sole condition, received a relaxation of their
hours of business,—he must, he repeated, tell them, and
from authority, that the old system of late closing would be
resorted to, and perhaps that the hours of closing, which
they complained of last year, would be made later still.
Therefore, as a matter of interest, to say nothing of con-
siderations of personal comfort, it behoved them to arouse
themselves, and to show they were in earnest. The committee
had proposed certain resolutions embracing the views he had

thus taken leave to express, and he was sure when they
were proposed to the consideration of the meeting they would
be unanimously assented to. He hoped the result of this
meeting would be that in a few months they would have 1000
instead of 200 names enrolled amongst the supporters of the
institution, and thus convince their employers, that the es-
tablishment would receive their zealous support, and that
they had not been labouring in vain. (Cheers.) He was
convinced that it was unnecessary to detail to them the ad-
vantages they would derive from availing themselves of the
opportunity of acquiring information which this institution
placed before them, but he confidently trusted that the ex-
ample of others, who by industry and a desire of improving
themselves in early life, had obtained the highest offices of
rank and emolument in the land, would excite a spirit of am-
bition amongst those he had the honour of addressing. They
had evidence every day around them of men in humble life,-
-not possessed of classical education, butig their own excl..
tions and perseverance, rising to the highest situations. In
this town, they had numerous instances of the truth of this
remark, and in the city of London he could name 30 or 40
gentlemen who had been similarly successful. The offices
which those gentlemen now held will be open to you, said
Mr. it., for they were at one period in their lives in pre-
cisely the same situation in which you now are. Mr. IL
continued to say that he was himself but humbly educated—
the same opportunities they enjoyed were not in existence in
his youth—schools were not so numerous, nor were there so
many eleemosynary institutions for the diffusion of knowledge
as now surrounded them. He now felt the want of educa-
tion, yet, when lie was an apprentice like themselves, he cul-
tivated knowledge as much as his leisure hours enabled him.
He was not disappointed in the advantages which the time so
spent conferred upon him, for, it was owing to the desire of
improvement he then felt, that he had now the hondur of
presiding over them. (Cheers.) Since he had last addressed
them, he had been appointed to an office of honour and emo-
lument, and though he was conscious of his own deficiency,
it was a source of pleasure to him that others deemed him tit
to discharge the duties of it. Nothing would give him more
happiness than to know, that all of them would be able to
date their improvement from the establishment of this insti-
tution. Their employers had disinterestedly devoted much

time and attention to the benefit of their assistants : he
would not particularise individuals, but he must say that
many had evinced a warm interest in their welfare. Some
of them had anticipated better things from the establishment
of the institution : others prognosticated its downfal. He
hoped the meeting would, by their earnestness, shew they
were determined to fulfil the expectations of the former, and
disappoint the gloomy forebodings of the latter. The expense
to each individual was moderate : the annual price of admis-
sion was 15s.—for the quarter it was only ss. A graduated
scale was fixed upon for the admission of apprentices, for
whom the charge was somewhat less than for clerks or assis-
tants. Subscribers to the institution had access to the peri-
odicals, to the daily papers, and to other works of literature
and science that were not to be met with elsewhere in town.
One gentleman, not at all connected with business, but
highly approving of the objects of the institution, had pre-
sented them with 20 volumes of works on arts and science.

He (Mr. It.) hoped they would make good use of those
books, and thus in the most effective way evince their grati-
tude to the donor. He apologised for having trespassed so
long on their attention, and resumed his seat amidst much
applause.
Resolutions to the following effect were then proposed and
seconded in appropriate speeches, and unanimously adopted :
—That the drapers' assistants, having enlarged the title of
the institution, so as to embrace other classes, it is deserving
of the support of shopkeepers' assistants and tradesmen ge-
nerally, as being likely to procure a further curtailment of
their hours of business, and to be productive of equal benefit
to the employers and the employed. That those assistants
who established the institution, have cause to regret that it
does not meet with that support which it is the duty and in-
terest of all to bestow upon it ; and, if not supported, they
are convinced the old system of late hours of closing shops
will be resumed.
Thanks were voted to the employers who supported the
institution, and who adhered to the regulation for closing the
shops at an early hour. A vote of thanks was then passed
to the chairman, and the meeting separated.