UNIVERSAL EARLY CLOSING. Will It Ruin the Small Shop= keepers ?

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 114, 6 September 1902, Page 8

UNIVERSAL EARLY CLOSING. Will It Ruin the Small Shop= keepers ?

THE small shopkeepers of Wellington aie eMilently cuimnced that if Sir Joseph Ward listens to the of their wealthier brotheis — the large shopkeepers — there will shortly be a general putting up of shutters among stiuggling tradesmen. The big people have petitioned the Acting-Piemier to the eftect that all shops ol whate\er kind — Chinamen and a few bpecified tiadespeople excepted — shall close at 6 p.m. every day except Saturda) . * <r ♦ To the average man who had no idea that the little .shopkeeper was likely to get hurt this seemed reasonable enough. But now that the little men have put in their counter petition, probably the public, e^ei on the bide of the weakling, will .see that ample justice is done to them. Isn't it just likely that the men -who say universal early closing means ruin to them are over-btatmg the case ? They point out that the woiking man strolls out after his evening meal when the big shops are shut and gives the little man a turn. As a matter of fact the working man lea\es most of the family supply business in the hands of the "missus" and the "missus" patronises the shop that sells her the best article at the lowest price, be it big or little. • * * As for the big men's petition being prompted by a base desire to crush the small straggler, it is not a bit reasonable to suppose that any such motne influenced them. The l'ttle shops, if they want to exist at all, must sell their good^ at the same price as the big shops. People won't patronise a small dear man, because he pathetically tells the people he h a poor struggling giocei with a laige family. The working people of W elhngton are not in a position to sentimentalise over matters of £ s. d. Most of the little shops m Wellington ha\e their regular customers, and e^en though these shops were forced, together with the big ones, to close at 6 o'clock, they would still keep their customers, pro vided always, as the ach ertisement says, " the price is right." • • » It will be admitted that for a time the universal closing at a gn en hour would incomenience the public, but the inconvenience wouldn't last long, and the little man wouldn't stars e. The "missus" before mentioned would go along to the little corner shop in the afternoon, instead of at night. Most ot the small shops admittedly do the bulk of their trade at night. If they were prohibited from doing it then there is absolutely no reason why the people shouldn't come along an hour earlier and do the same amount of business as foimerly. If the small European shopkeepers, however, are forced to close at 6 o'clock, we humbly submit that oui almondeyed brother from China should be forced to put his shutters up too, unless, of course, he sells those perishable commodities, tha vendors ot which, white or yellow, are already exempt under the existing law. • • * There is not the least reason why we should pamper the wily Asiatic. He is extremely well able to care for himself and to raise enough money to get buried in China. If the closing is to be unnersal don't luue it universal

in patches. 11 thci Chinaman plies his grocery trade and the little white giocer is bound to close he would ha\e something to giumble about. As it is, he ha-s grumbled lathei laigely o\er what appears to be a small mattei. As we said before "it the price is light" thr> rnstomers aie n»ht whether the\ piuJi.;. i a.m 01 H p.m.