PLEA FOR THE SHOPMEN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1856, 13 June 1888, Page 3

PLEA FOR THE SHOPMEN.

Tho " Oanmu Mail " m very Beyore on the Wellington Chamber of Commerce for Ita notion In opposing the Shop Hours Bill. It Bays:— "Of oourße, it ia not expected that Ohambora of Commerce would sympathise with an innovation of any kind. They are usually compesid of men whoae op'.niona have become fossilised or who ate blladod by trndltion. We would llko to havo had it domonttratod by Mr Duthle, tha mover or (ho resolution, how the Bill could ocoaalon interference with tho liberty of tho eubjjofc and ranch mißery. Liberty la often another name for license, and henoe State Interference has been deemod necoaaary. How about the Paotoriea Act? Ia that an interferenca with the liberty of tho subjeot, and doea It ocoaaion much raiaory ! — Yes, it interferes with the liberty of the manufacturer to make a hospital of hie work roome — to grind th 9 very life out of hla operatives— to drive young gicla aud boys ob one would oxen. It waa In tho interoßt of woak humanity thst aaoh liberty sa thia should be denied, for it wub a liberty by. which health, happinesß, aid even life, were sacrificed at the ehrlno of greed.' Speaking of the benefiotal working of tho Foctorleo Act, the writer contintfes, "And why was legislation necessary to effoot all thla ? Could it not have been accomplished without any "interfarenoa with the liborty of the Bubjeot V It could have beon, if omployera of labor could have been induced to voluntarily oopotder they were employing delicate maohlao3 not made of Iron, Bat, though some of them might hare been lnc I hed to adopt bo considerate an attitude, others were not, and a minority probably compelled a majority to keep up a system of nigger driving that wsb aa crael to the individual aa It w«b damaging to the whole people. It was hfgh time that tboae grasping men ahoald bo forced to racognlae what waa their duty to their fellows — that they did not, for a few shillings a week, buy the bodies and aoula, as well aa tho labor, of these workers — and that the labor evils whloh old countries were trying to shake off would not be allowed to take deep root here.