The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-30
SET BACK FOR CLERKS
Merchants Confer and De-
eide to Close Evenings
at Seven O'clock.
AN EXCITING MEETING.
Many Favored Closing at Six-ME
Browns Urgent Appeal for
the Clerks.


The representative merchants of the city
decided at a meeting held last night in this
Board OF Trade rooms to close their stores at
seven o'clock during the months of January
and February
OBJECTS OF THE MEETING.
MIR. Bernstein stated clearly and concisely
the objects of the meeting which were ia
reply to the inquiry of organized labor as to
why they (the merchants opposed the sin
O'Clock movement, as started by the Early
Closing Association, and to reply to tha
clerks, who asked that all stores be closed at
six. Jacob Ringle presided
Mr.. Hoarse of Newark avenue moved that
all stores close at six o'clock during January
and February, Saturdays excepted, and this
started the ball rolling
Mr.. Hoarse in explaining his theory for
offering his resolution to close at six, said
that the experience of twenty years in the
avenue had taught him that excepting Sat
urday night he had but few customers from
distant portions of Jersey City.
General Manager Rohr eff the B.OPCH
replied that his experience had been far diff
ferent.
NEXT MANS ARGUMENT
Mr.. Rinaldo advanced as his opinion that
1t was all right for millinery dealers and
others whose customers are ladies, to close at
SIX, but insisted that where business was
done with men, six o'clock was too early to
close.
George A. Stevens and William N.
Baron favored six o'clock as the time for
closing
HENRY GRUBER INTERFERED.
Henry Gruber was next heard. ''I am
here" he said, ito deny the report that or
ganlzed labor is opposed to the early closing.
| say that after January organized labor
will support the merchants who close at
six
That's enough of that shouted Presi-
dent Ringle. Il will not permit any threats
being made here
THAT is no threat" meekly replied the
abashed Gruber HNa
sit is threat and it is ungentlemanly, and
| will not tolerate it," was Mr.. Ringle's re-
joinder
Gruber was completely and effectually
squelched
Lewis Shaffer, halter, and H. R. Ives.
tailor, were opposed to early closing.
H. B. Russell favored early closing.
Mr.. Brown of the T. c. Brown & Van
Anglen Conn made strong appeal in
was in favor of six o'clock as a closing
hour.
Mr. Perlmutter also argued in favor of
early closing.
THE VOTE.
A vote was called on the question to close
at SIX during January and February. The
resolution was lost by vote of Is to 10. A
motion was then made to close at six during
the whole year, December excepted. An
amendment to table was lost by vote of IL
TO lG.. The vote was taken on the original
motion and it was lost by the same vote.
motion to close at seven o'clock the
whole year round was made and seconded.
1t was amended to close at eight The
amendment was lost by vote of fifteen to
nineteen, as was also the original motion.
Affairs began to get complicated and for
time it looked as though the merchants
would not close at any time.
THE COMPROMISE
Manager Rohr of the B. o. P c. H., backed
up by MIR. Stevens, at this time, put in the
wedge which settled the affair Both gentle
men made a stand for seven O'Clock as a
closing time
Mr. Ringle suggested as remedy that
every other evening half the
and stay home and the other half
remain on duty This suggestion will prob
ably be followed out by the merchants. At
last a vote was taken on the motion to close
at seven o'clock, and all but three, viz, Mr..
Prayer, Sternberg and Sherman, and Mr..
Williams, agreed to close at seven and to
announce the fact by placing placards in the
store windows at once
THOSE WHO WILL CLOSE AT SEVEN.
These are the merchants whose places win
close during January and February on New
ark ayenue:-W. H. Carrick, James Sulli-
van, Perlmutter's, Jacob Ringle & Sons,
]. W. Kidd, VIM. Mclaughlin, H. B.
Russell & Son, 7. C. Brown & Van
Anglen Company, Henry Lublang, Joseph
Fox, w. Sibler, Weinmann q Son, Geo. A.
Stevens Daniel Cohen, Jersey City Corset
Company, De Jong & Company, d. Benjamin,
b. O. p, G. H; D. Rinaldo A. A. DAILY A.
L. Wolf aud S. c. Smith s. Brother
A committee of FIVE is to be appointed by
the Chair to effect a permanent Merchants