DRAPERS AND CLOTHIERS CLOSING HOURS.

Southland Times, Issue 1233, 5 April 1870, Page 2

DRAPERS AND CLOTHIERS CLOSING HOURS.

(TO THB EDITOR OF THI THCW.) Sir,— The following advertisement appeared in the public newspapers of this Province two years, ago:— "We, the undersigned, drapers and clothiers, do ; hereby agree to close oar places of business for the future, from the first of : April to the first of October^ at " sn _..-■"■ o'clock p.m., the remaining months of the year at 7 o'clock > p.m. ; and observe annually the following days as holidays, on which we will close our places of business: — The first of January; • Q-ood Friday ; 24th May, being the Queen's birthday/; Christmas and .',], Boxing day ; and the Fast-days, of the Presbyterian Church." Here follow the signatures. Why the conditions hare not been carried out those most intimately concerned may be able to answer. , . . ' V From the very, general complaintdullness of trader— people inust> be inclined to think that business cannot be otherwise than rather slack.. If this is a fact, how can it be reconciled with another fact, namely, that the drapery places of business of InvercargiU con^ tinue to keep open to 10 o'clock, and some of them later on Saturday nights? If they are not doing a " roaring trade," why keep open to such late hours ? Is the business of the week so great that it cannot be brought to an earlier conclusion than 10 o'clock at night on Saturdays, while keeping open to 7 p.m. on other nights? Whence this change from the above agreement ? What advantage can be gained when there is no absolute pressure of business to necessitate such a questionable course? 1 Where merchants cannot make up orders fast enough for a " rush" to some newlydiscovered goldfield, the matter of late hours and overwrought excitement can be easily understood, but the propriety of 7~ wasting kerosene for the mere sake of chaining victims — by a system of which nothing can be said in its favor^r-tpT their: post, much later than there is any necessity for, is quite inexplicable. Toe ladies should come to the rescue, i " Woman ! without her, man would be a savage!"- Yet,- how is it .that ladies living in town, or near to it, cannot ? 6hi tain their requirements until late on Saturday night ? Lookrat those boys,, young r lads, and young men, kept in a state Of slavery— refined it may be, and possibly more irksome on that account; — to 10 o'clock on Saturday nights, and in duty . bound to have a ready-made smile for , ! every fair purchaser . who chooses to delay supplying her necessity to such an - untimely hour. Fancy those youths, those future " ornaments to society," let loose at that time, trudging home, and hastily bolting (if they have not by long ~ confinement lost their appetites) a late • supper, and then between 11 and 12 o'clock p.m. on Saturday, "tumbling into their lair like a wild beast," subject to all sorts of nightmare, by way of preparation for a proper observance of. the next day. Every individual is not born with an iron constitution, and we can easily imagine, but cannot calculate^, the amount of injury inflicted upon the physical and. intellectual health-^-of at least some— of ■■-... those who are the unwilling subjects of such a grinding process. Men hold forth in eloquent platitudes at "Young Men's Improvement Societies " on kindred subjects ; and it is to be charitably, hoped, that, they _ are sincere in their professions of philanthropy towards their, fellow-creatures. And it is to ,be further hoped that they will see the necessity, and consistency, and duty of paying some attention to the "writing on the wall,'' which is quoted at the head of these remarks, and to which they have subscribed with their own right hands. : As a rule, people from the country get their goods early in the day-time, and . there is no good reason why townspeople cannot do likewise. It may be reasonably presumed that not the slightest loss — but a gain in every respect — would result from the practice of closing at a reasonably early ; hour. Those who want an article of dress, or anything else, will go for it early when they know that it cannot be got at a later hour. Hoping that these observations may have a desirable effect, without recurring to the subject, I am &c, Aiacus. Invercargill, March, 1870.