The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-08
HOURS FOR WORK

| Parliament has been asked to have it
made penal for any shopkeeper to give
employment to a man, however much he
may desire it, If that employment lasts
beyond I O'Clock in the evening.
| What is provided is that any trades
man who desires that his own business
and the business of his rivals shall ter
| inmate at I o'clock may sketch out a
| district where he likes, take in whom ne
| likes belonging to this particular branch
| Of commerce, and if he can obtain two
| thirds of his neghbors to combine with
| him he may coerce by penal enactment
the rest of the traGesnen not to conduct
their business after the hour of T.
Such a measure has never certainly
| been the statute book of England be-
fore. Hitherto srown-up men have been
at liberty TO dispose of their labor as
they liked, and tradesmen have been al
lowed TO conduct such business as they
thought fit under such conditions as they
pleased. But in the proposed new law
if two to one of any district Join together
on most tanciful grounds, and II they can
be got TO say that they prefer the earlier
hours. the minority viii have to bow to
tEeir decision, and not conduct their bust
ness after the time that suits the ma iOrity.
That is undoubtedly a Very new prin-
ciple to introduce in the legislation of
England. Besides that, il is not a mat
Ter 10 O8 OeciQeN tH d majority, nor de-
cided by the number of people in dis
trict who have peculiar views, but it is
to be decided by an odd kind Of plehiscite
of those who pursue a particular branch
of commerce, and they are to determine
the law under which their neighboIs may
pursue their industry.
If the thing stopped there I should still
say that ii very novel interference
with the liberty Of men to dispose OF
their la Dor and n SicnnSp Of thaiy can "A
as they please; and it would behoove Par
lament to give a very great deal Of
thought indeed before it sanctioned q
principle so entirely novel. In the first
place, I think that the shop assistants
are to be considered. but that is compare
lively d very small matter. They are
not the most important persons that are
affected by the opening or shutting of
shops: some consideration. great deal
OF considerati ton. is due 10 the consumer.
The consumer is the important person
If the shopkeeper or the shop assistant
does not like his trade he can leave it
and go to another. but If the consumer is
not TO have that which ne is in the habit
OF consuming, which is, perhaps, neces-
sary of life, he has no recourse left
whatever.
A certain number of districts. proba-
bly, the poorest, will be under a law that
they may not keep their shops open or
pursue their business after o'clock al
night.
In a recent discussion l rentured to OBJ
serve on the unfortunate tendency in the
legislation Parliament adopted rather TO
regard that which, from the members
point of view, was convenient and agree
able to those for whom they are !egiSlat-
ing. No doubt-fnr the members Of the
two Houses of Parliament-the shutting
up of shops at o'clock would hurt very
few people There is no shopping for
them after that time, but there may be
some matters for which one ofethe mem
bers would desire TO enter a SHOP after Z
o'clock. He might wish to go to q restau-
rant; he might wish to buy cigar-that
Is very reasonable proposal.
There are very few members of the
House of Lords who will want, except in
those selected and excluded articles TO
shop after o'clock; but there are hundreds
of thousands of women in London who
spend their day in work and who have NOT
the time for making the requisite provision
for their necessities and their house
hold goods until after o'clock. A bill I
closing all the shops at clock would ex-
clude them from any purchases they de-
sired to make. know in one case it is 4
provided, that nothing in the bill it is
proposed to adopt is to interfere with