THE EARLY CLOSING OF STORES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1905, 20 September 1884, Page 2

THE EARLY CLOSING OF STORES.

TO THE KDITOK. Sue,— lt is natural to the heart of Britons to sympathize with the slave, and to abhor the fetters that bind him. No effort would be thought too great or to costly to strike off his shackles and set him free. It was this noble feeling that led the Biitish Parliament to vote twenty millions sterling for the emancipation of the slaves of the West Indies. We are proud of such facts as these, aud yet we may be apparently unconcious of the existence of a species of slavery, or semi slavery, in our very midst. What was the over-wrought factory, girl, kept toiling on fiom eaily morning till Lite in the evening, but a slave to the g reed of the employer? At length the Legislature interfered, and said: "You shall work these childien so many hours in the day, and no more." Public opinion began to move in the same duection, and places of business began to close at earlier hours, and now we find in the great towns of England shops aie closed at s>ix o'clock every e\euing except Saturday, and on this day they are closed at two. Young men and young women engaged in these places of busiuess are thus enabled to benefit themselves, both physically and morally, without inflicting any injury on their employers, because the same amount of money can only be spent by the public, whatever the hour at which shops are closed. Why not then adopt the early hour of closing places of businees in this place ? Young people employed in tho stores would do their work better, would no doubt live longer, would be happier and more useful members of society, and 1 the change would pro\e not aloss, but a gain to the employers. — I am, &c, A Settler. , Waikato, September 16th.

The fast men are generally the loosest characters. There is nothing further to report from the scene of the late accident at Cape Terrace, save that 1 the miners are still driving in very bad and loose ground to -recover the body of MoNamaraj iwho Vfas no fauM kilted'^y tUo fall of earttl*