The Detroit times., 1913-09-04
SATURDAY NIGHT
CLOSING VICTOR
IN FIRST BATTLE
Temporary Injunction to Pre-
vent Boosting of Plan Denied
by Judge Hally
MERCHANTS FILE
STRONG AFFIDAVITS
Declare Movement In Line With
Progress and the Spirit of
the Times

The advocates of Saturday night
closing won victory. Wednesday
morning, when Judge Hally. of the
circuit court. denied the application
OF A. K. Wood & Co., wholesale and
retail milliners, for q temporary In.
J, notion to restrain the Retail Mer.
chants bureau OF the Detroit Board
Of Commerce and Walker & Co., ad.
vertisers. from displaying banners or
ether means Of advertising containing
tho slogan. mo more Saturday night
shopping"
The question came up on the re
turn of an order for the defendants
to show cause why the intunctiot
should not issue, on order entered by
the judge when the application was
made, last week. The denial of the
temporary order does not affect the
main case, which will come up for 8
hearing later, though no date has
been set for 1t.
Attorney Allan Campbell. for the
complainant. argued that because the
Saturday night closing movement was
hurting the business of his client and
In view OF the fact that many per
sons. he alleged. misunderstood II to
mean that all shopping that night was
prohibited, justice to the interests ne
represented demanded that the court
interfere.
Attorney Hal Smith for the defend
ants, pointed out that the complain
ant did not argue that any movement
had been. made to hadm his business
any more than that of anyone else
and that since the movement as q
whole was for the general good, Il
should not be interfered with because
of the harm 1t might do In particular
instances. The court apparently tool
the same view.
No oral testimony was taken, but
afhdavits were filed by the defense
which were signed by prominent 70
tailers who have been closing their
stores Saturday nights. The firms
and the number of persons they en-
ploy included In the list are as fol
lows: Robert Traub, IS people; E.
J. Hickey. IS; House of Herbst, Ave;
Henry Blackwell. It's; Joe" Gold.
berg. OF Goldberg Bros, $50; w. J.
Petzold, of J. l.. Hudson Co., 1900; j.
T. Thorburn. Of Elliott-Taylor-W WOOL
fenden Co.. 800; Himelhoch Bros.
$50; J. J. Williams and A. A. Gray
Co. The following Is paragraph
from the affidavits:
Your deponent further AYERS that
said movement for Saturday night
closing Is humanitarian movement;
It Is the result of progress! 1t is In
conformity with the spirit of the
times which seeks to shorten the
hours of labor for women and other
employees, and tends to give said en-
ployes more hours Of rest and recrea-
ton without materially reducing their
wages; that accompanying this move.
ment is q demand for the payment OF
wages in factories on other days ex-
cept Saturdays, and at times to make
1t convenient for all persons to make
their purchases early in the week and
early In the day. The use Of tele-
phones and the rapid delivery service
has tended to largely minimize the
necessity Of Saturday night shopping.
The growth of the city and the enor-
nous increase in its inhabitants has
largely decreased the advisability Of
any retail establishment remaining
open until after o'clock even on
Saturday nights. Retail establish
ments In other cities have closed on
Saturday nights, and the closing Of
such establishments In Detroit, white
perhaps not an economy to the pro-
prietors thereof, is demanded by the
public and by the employees, and the
retailer who properly serves the pub
lie and discharges his duty to his EN-.
ployes must conform to this public de-
mand"