ANOTHER IDEA OF EARLY CLOSING.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 618, 26 April 1878, Page 4

ANOTHER IDEA OF EARLY CLOSING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENIKO MAIL. Sir.—Kindly permit me to express my opinion in your invaluable Journal on this early closing movement. As lam only an observer it would be out of my place to take any active steps in the matter, but perhaps a few liiut3 might be acceptable to the unfortunate white slaves. Firstly why don't our leading Oamarn shopmen call a meeting to take the matter into consideration at once; secondly which of these two propositions would be the most advantageous to the employer and the employes, viz, closing an Itonr or two earlier on a Saturday night, or closing at 2 p.m., say, Wednesday or Thursday. Of the two I should say the latter one as the large numberof passengers that come by thelatetrains on Saturday would not have the convenience of the shops if closed before the present hour. Mr. Editor, if I were a shopman that is the course I should pursue, and have my recreation during the week, but there is one thing I should wish to mention with reference to some of our storekeepers whom I have spoken to on this subject. I think they are too grasping they seem to think that if they were all to close their places of buisness an hour or so earlier they would lose a customer. Selfishness, I say, on the part of those gentlemen who look at it in that light. Do they think that a customer, finding all the shops closed, would turn in disgust and go to some other town. Presumption on their part. One word more to those slave drivers: remember that good old proverb, "Do unto others as you would that others should do unto yon." Thanking you, Mr. Editor, for allowing me to intrude upon your valuable space. I Remain Yours Respectfully, Observer.

TO THE ED IT OK OP TUB EVENTSG HAIL. Sir, —I cannot let " Skibo's" letter pass without writing a few words, although in ao doing I know I am getting altogether off the subject of early closing. I think, however, that anyone who has closely followed the correspondence that has passed between ns will at once see that he has failed adequately to answer my last epistle, as he terms it; and furthermore, I think it is apparent that he is no friend to the early closing movement, and I still maintain that he is no working man in the ordinary everyday sense of the term ; the numerous French phrases he uses to a great extent proves this. The last one he nse3, which, when translated, means " Evil be to him who evil thinks," is very bitter. I ran assure him, no evil thoughts were in my mind when I penned my epistle, and I sincerely apologise both to him and yonr readers if there was anything ttngentlemanly in what I wrote. Now, Sir, let ns look once more for a moment at the grand snbject of early closing since my first letter. Several people have been talking to me much in this ivay—"What is the use of making all this fuss and excitement over two paltry hours on a Saturday night; if you go in for any alteration, why not go in for G o'clock, the same as on every other day in the week. My answer to this is that even if the tradespeople agreed to such a proposal, the second night it was tried it would fall throngh, because the people would object to it"; they are not yet sufficiently educated to bear such a radical change with equanimity and patience. Let us first try and break the ice by closing the shops at 9 p.m. on Saturdays—two hours earlier than now —and by so doing gradually educate the people to the desired change. I heartily agree with the remarks of "Draper's Quill" in your to-night's issue; but in a small town like this, I would not confine an Early Closing Association to drapers only. I think all the affected trades might join, for unity is strength, and let their watchword be reform.—l am, &c., Hc.uaxitas. [These letters must eml all argument on this subject in our columns.—Ed. E.M.]