DARKEST CENTRAL OTAGO.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 378, 6 August 1903, Page 5

DARKEST CENTRAL OTAGO.

TO THE EDITOTR. Sir,—S see by your last week's Extra that the business men of the place, at least soma of them, are raakiug an attempt to bring about a much needed reform in the matter of early-closing. Let me congratulate these gentlemen. I must say that to an ordinarily intelligent mind (with yonr permission I class mine as such), it seems a most scandalous state of affairs that men should be compelled to work 10 or even 12 hours a day to earn the wherewithal to keep body and soul together; and this too in the 20th Century, and in the most democratic and progressive country in the world. Alexandra is one of the extremely few. places in the Colony that has not adopted the early closing system and that this should be so, is, I think, a standing disgrace to the place. Why should we of all places be so tardy in coming forward to help in the glorious game of reform and pi ogress? Let our action in this matter give the answer. We have seen early closing work satisfactorily in other places, situated similarly to Alexandra. Why not here also 1 We quite understand that old prejudices are hard to remove, but in the face of so much overwhelming evidence to the contrary, it is foolish and childish for some of our business men to say that a business cannot be made to pay without working employees 10 or more hours a day. Such men disgrace the name of employer. Ladies, yon who have husbands and brothers working 8 hours a day: yon can understand what it would mean were they asked fe work two or three hours a day more for the same wage. You have the remedy in your hands, ladies. Simply refuse to patronise a shopkeeper who is unwilling to aid in this much needed reform. I must apologise for occupying so much ef your space and trust that some abler pen than mine may take the matter up.—l am, kc, - Homo.