Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-10
FIRMS AGREE ON
EARLY CLOSING
APPLY HALF HOLIDAY RULE IN
SUMMER MONTHS
Afterward store viii Close Evenings
at 6-committees Give Arthur
Let's Credit for the
Movement


As result of the combined efforts
of Arthur Let's of the Broadway de-
partment store. the Consumers league
and the Church federation, the leading
dry goods merchants and department
store managers have agreed to close
their stores at o'clock ever Saturday
after September is and also to give
their clerks a half holiday every Sat
urday between July and September is.
Seven years ago the first step in this
direction was taken by Arthur Let's
when he was the proprietor of a min
iature department store, and 1t is to
Mr.. Let's that much of the credit for
bringing the movement to a SUCCESS
ful conclusion is due.
Mr.. Let's Grateful
"I have seen the dearest wish of nv
heart accomplished" said Mr.. Let's
yesterday
when I was'employing no more than
fifty people, seven years ago, l made
the first move in that direction. be-
gan giving my employees a half holi-
day every Thursday during the month
of July and August and I have kept
1t up ever since. At that time I tried
to start movement for closing the
stores ell the year round at 8 O'Clock,
but 1t was unsuccessful.
ION January g. 1906 I wrote to the
Merchants and Manufacturers asso-
citation suggesting that they make an
effort to have all the stores closed at
s o'clock. At that time talked with
my department managers, forty In
number, and all but two were OPP
posed to my plan
Now I have succeeded in convincing
ell but four of these that I am right
and two of them are at present In New
York and Know nothing Of the new ar
Gain to Employees
"If all the stores close there can be
no loss to any one and the gain
to the employees is great. There
is something more to running a large
establishment besides dollars and
cents. There is the moral obligation
we owe our employees.
1--WE should care for their health and
happiness and less for the money we
are banking.
II think we are bound by certain
moral obligations to those we have
working for us and we can not think
too much of their welfare
This is great step for Los Angeles.
1t viii set an example to cities larger
and older than ours, but not nearly so
far advanced"
We. the undersigned merchants doing
business in the city of Los Angeles,
hereby agree to close our respective
places of business as follows:
AT o'clock p. m. of each and every
day during the year except for one
week before Christmas of each year.
beginning with the first Saturday after
the fourth day of July and until the 18th
day Of September Of each year, on each
and every Saturday at noon.
Dry Goods and Department
The following dry goods and depart
ment stores have entered this agree
ment:
Broadway Department Store.
A. Hamburger & Sons.
j. r. Lane Dry Goods company.
j. M. Hale company.
Jacoby Bros.
New York Cloak and Suit House
Beeman &S Hendy.
Steele, F'aris & Walker COMPANY. the
Fifth Street Store.
j. w. Robinson company, the Boston
Store.
Coulter Dry Goods company.
A. FUsenot & Co., the Vile de Paris.
N. B. Blackstone company.
Gordan-Andrews company and the
new Ell Imperio to be located at Sew
enth and Broadway.
The Unique Cloak and Suit House.
Myer Siegel & Co.
Millinery Stores
Marvel Millinery Store.
e. c. Collins.
Vogue Millinery
S. S. Spier.
Mrs. N. e. Smith.
Hoffman Millinery.
Millinery World.
Misses j. and G. Truitt.
Mrs. A. Feintauch.
The Fashion.
Miss A. Swobdi.
Miss I. M. Clifford & Co
Wonder Millinery.
Furniture Stores
Barker Bros.
Los Angeles Furniture company
Lyon, Mckinney & Smith company.
California Furniture company.
Niles Pease Furniture company.
Queensware Stores
III. f. Vollmer & Co.
Parmelee- -Dohrmann company.
Other names will be added when the
list is complete in their respective
classes, and published.
Arigin of Movement
Ir this connection the following re-
port is made:
ITO the Church Federation Council
Gentlemen:
Your committee to whom was re-
felfed the question of early closing and
Saturday half-holidays, during the
summer months. beg leave to report
to your honorable body the result of
our labors and some of the existing
conditions.
"First-We found no uniform rule ex-
sting between the merchants In rela-
tion to hours of opening, closing and
half-holidays. For instance, Arthur
Let's custom for several years has
been to give half-holidays on Thursday
during the summer months, while other
merchants have done likewise on Sat-
urday, consequently the first thing to
be done was to find some common basis
or which all could unite.
January 3. 1908 Arthur Let's adj
dressed a communication to the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers association
in which he pointed out the advantage
H.. 1.