DUNEDIN EARLY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 824, 13 September 1867, Page 4

DUNEDIN EARLY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.

A public meeting, called with the object of promoting the Early Closing Movement, "was held in Farley's Hall on. Tuesday. ; ' Mr A. R. Ure, President of .the, recently formed Early Closing. Association, ■was in the chair ; and on the platform •were the Rev. Messrs Stuart, Connebee, Parsons, and Scrimgeour, and Messrs Johnjßathgate, John Hay, G. C. Matheson, and A. Ross (Secretary). The hall was crowded.

The Chairman stated the object of the meeting, and expressed great pleasure at seeing a meeting with such an object so nuirierously attended.

Mr Ross, as Secretary to the Early Closing Association, read a report, reviewing the progress of the eariy closing movement in Duuedin, as encouraged by various trades, until it culminated in the formation of the Association in whose interest the meeting was held. It might, he said, be urged that the hours of work for those employed in connection with the various retail businesses were fair and reasonable ; but some had never been prevailed upon to adopt the early closing system, and, in the face of their determined opposition, others threatened to fall back to their former practice of protracted hours. In addition to this, , the number of hours during which places of business were kept open- on Saturdays were unreasonably long, and the Aspocia tion felt impelled to bestir itself, and to appeal to the public for 1 their support to an object which was ' ' no party movement, and which involved no dispute, assumed no position, contrary to the interests of, employers." Employers generally were favorable to the movement, and they only required the continued encouragement of the public, and the fostering of the habit of early closing, to make the adoption, of the practice universal. He referred with gratification to the amount of success which had attended the Associations which had, as a consequence of early closing, been formed for the purposes of mutual improvement ; and ■was satisfied that, in that respect, the arguments "which the promoters of the movement used as reasons for encouragement from the public, had been fully substantiated by the results ■which, during the past winter, had been achieved, in Duhedin.

. The Rev. Mr Stuart moved the adoption of the report, and spoke warmly in support of the Early Closing Movement, as commending itself to our reason, and to our higher nature. Its thorough recognition and adoption by the public, he believed, • depended upon trades-people themselves. If they shut their shops' earlier, the public would 'be taught thepropriety of .making their purchases earlier ; and while the commercial result would be the same, the gain to all in other respects 1 would be incalculable. He believedthat, in a new country like this, and -in a country -with such advantages,' there was no reason why, by eight hours' labor, every man should not get a living, and have an increased amount of time for attention to individual and social improvement. He congratulated the Chairman and others upon the noble example

they set in encoiOTgjng.;sb.«yobjects ofrfche Association.^ • a kL ' M \. ...I™. -^38FHat moved^TiefirstTesoIution :— Tha^ knowing the success 'attending, and the advantages derived frorii, ihe efforts put forth by the Grocers' EarlyVcib's'irig Xss'ociatibri, this meeting hails with satisfaction, the formation of' the ■ " Dunedin Early Closing Association," extending as it d6es the same benefits to the various other trades to which the early closing movement can be practicably a lapted. „, t The resolution, he felt, was such a truiani as scarcely to be capable of demonstra r ' tion or illustration. From som'ei However, there might emanate one ' objection — the objection that the hours of closing shops being' a matter for between employers and eiriployed, the public had nothing to do w|th" the^ ques-' tion, and that it was pure assumption' on j the part of the speakers there 1 , ' to themselves the right to try and influence the public at all. The uncharitable fallacy which characterised this objection, was the belief that the public Were not interested in the '^character and, fortunes of every class of- the, community—in ' short, that ' there 'was no such thing "as a public 1 /' and that we wore fell separate atoms which, somehow- or other, did not unite to form a bb f dy, but were like little globules of quicksilver on r the floor, scattered in different directions, and attracting some earthly surroundings which kept them for ever distinct. \ That this was not the case; j could easily be proved by the logic ■of facts: Viewed in its proper light, it would be seen that society' could riot safely neglect what was one of' its veriest; essentials — the taking of an interest, not only in the being, but in the well-being, of its members. No man who saw a wrong tmredressed, or an injustice perpetrated, was doing his part in the community, if he did not give^expression to his dissent with all the earnestness- 'of his nature. It was no fanciful theory, but a f.ict • upon which ' a .'gobd deal of legislation had been '/' based, ■ that the employment of labor/ 1 like "properly, had its duties as well as itV rights. By the abolition of the, long-hour factory system, the British public, through their -representatives in Parliament, nobly asserted the right for which lib contended — the right of dealing with a question which, at first sight, appeared to .be . only between employers and" employed. In many other useful measures LprdShaftesbury and others had been successful in carrying out this principle to still grander results ', and he congratulated ! tho meeting upon the fact that tho existence here of the spirit of these measureswas indicated by the disposition which was' evinced to prevent the growth in the Colony of a system which was so fraught with evil elsewhere ; and upon the fact also that, on this occasion, so many clergymen of all denominations were present to speak on behalf of a societywhichhadforitsendfhe social, literary, and religious improvement of a large number of their fellow-towns-men. He could hardly anticipate any other objection, unless it was one which was repeated nightly in one of the public prints, andjwhich hadbcen incidentally referredto in the Secretary's report, and that was that the carrying out of the resolution would be a serious loss to an existing Gas Company — (Laughter). He would answer this objection by repeating the wellknown answer of a Prime Minister of France to a scurrillous writer when, to his excuse for his writings, that it was necessary for him to live, the reply was made, "I do not see the necessity." In the same way, if they were told that if I they carried out their intention, they would ruin the Gas Company, then perish the Gas Company ! — (Laughter.) The Gas Company did not. so far as appeared, number many of their fellow-citizens, and, by past services, had not laid them under such great obligations as to expect that for their benefit so large a class of the community should lose a great boon. So much for the objective. Turning to the positive, they saw that the resolution assumed a past,, and anticipated a future success. The past success was complete in its way, but limited in its kind, and the object 6f the meeting was to ask the public to extend to other trades, the boon which they had already extended to the grocers. Previously the movement had been partial ; he now asked them to make it general, and, if made general, he did not doubt that its advantages would soon make themselves so apparent! as to secure ,its permanency, and its recognition as a tiling of good, both to employer and employed. • ' (

The' Rev: ■ Mr Coxjtebee seconded the resolution. He felt that there was not required a single word in the ' way of justification of his presence, and the presence of his ministerial brethren, at such a meeting. There might be some who "would ask why, as Ministers, they did not confine themselves to the" affairs, of thair congregations and their •ministerial duties, and; why they interfered between employer and employed, whether ' in relation to late hours or any other matter. 'i '

His raply^was, r^hat> 5 they were not there jib Ministers' Birnply., ,but as. Christians,, "arid as CTiristians; they might preach p two ways-^-on Sabbath they preached by ■' precept ; on' week days they 'came* among their fellow-citizens, arid preadhed' by example. While pursuing the' even tenor of their way, they found a cry came, from a certain section of the community for help, and, finding the call a justifiable one, they were ready to give 'that help. ' Looking around at the commercial community generally, they fotirid that' merchants were satisfied with eight hours' labor; and they found also that it was the same' in the case of the skilled mechanic, and .of the unskilled laborer. They, therefore, felt that the employed who advocated' this movement had good and reasonable ■grounds for 'it; and, the more it was examined, tlie : more, apparent it was 'that it was a movement attended by very few evils I,'1 ,' if any, and by a great many collateral advantages. Believing in the Divirfe appointment of labor they were not' there to 'advocate indolence or Bloth; but ' they were" there to encourage the recognition of such a division of time as would impose upon man not more than a proper amount of labor, and would afford him 1 a proportionate amount of recreation and rest. He illustrated the advantages arising 'from such' a movement as that which the meeting was called to recognise, and the evils associated with the late hour system; and concluded by asking the j public support to the movement in the name ot humanity, justice, and Christianity. ' ' The Rev. Mr Parson proposed the next resolution :—: — That, considering the many evils intellectiially arid physically entailed by protracted hours 'of labor, this meeting pledges itself to avoid the practice of late shopping, and by personal effort and influence to encourage the Early Closing Movement. It riright be held by some, that in Dunedin," people were comparatively free from the evils c of protracted hours .of labor; „and, compared with the Pld Country, that might be the case, but lie did not. believe in always looking at matters from Old Country points of view. In a new country-like this, we should occasionally look at things from a new stand-point ; and, doing that, it had to be admitted that, although the hour* of Jabor were comparatively shorter, they were in several instances too protracted.' Such was still the case with- the grocers, and with several other trades. ; In addition to shorter hours of labor daily, he was inclined £c advocate that,, as far as possible, the employed should have the advantage of freedom from work during the half . of Saturdays. He regretted that, in the present instance, the early closing movemeut was imperilled by the refusal of a few employers to agree with the majority as to the hours of closing. Though few, they were capable of doing a great deal of harm, and he hoped that by the pu blic showing practically how far they .approved of the cause v hich was advocated at that meeting, those who were the obstacles to the success of the movement would be convinced of their error, and of the advantages of which they deprived both themselves and others.

The Rev. Mr Stuart seconded the resolution.

The Rev. Mr Scrimgeotjr moved the third resolution :—: —

That this meeting regards the Early Closing Movement as beneficial not simply to the employed, but also to the employers, 'and therefore, that opposition to the movement, on the part of the latter, is injurious alike to their own interests and that of their employers. He thoroughly coincided with what the Rev. ' Mr Connebee had said a3 to ministers of religion taking part in such a meeting. He had no patience or sympathy with men who .denied to ministers a position as fellow - workers with their fellow-men. In such matters as that for the promotion of which the .meeting had been called, the Assembly of the Church of which he was a member had taken active interest more than a hundred years ago, and the example was. by no means an unworthy precedent. Looking at the question before the meeting in a practical, common sense view, there could be no one, unless mis r guided by ultra-selfish feeling 3, who could not see the advantages , of the early closing' system, or who could fail to-dis-cover, the disadvantages of the system which was at present too cpmmonly, adopted. — In illustrating the two views of the question, , the rev. gentleman made a, number of happy and, quaint-, allusions, 'and his address was warmly applauded. . Mr IvLvTHESOJf seconded the resolution. Mr Bathgate moved the fourth and last of the series of resolutions :—: —

That this meeting, whilst expressing its unfeigned gratification at the results which have^ already crowned the Association's labors, would likewise express its unqualified disapproval and condemnation of .the selfish opposition to 'the movement manifested and continued by a few of the Dunediri retailers.

After the exhaustive speeches which | been^delivered on- the subject,- :he- did not feel,called upon to say mnc|t in,sup■'Jßorjt of, ; this- * "pretty strongly ' Worked"' res6lution. He was thankful that,' as expressed in the resolution, the opponent* of the movement they were met to encourage were few in number.. He hoped that all that had been said would be taken by them in good part, as it was given,, and be followed by the conviction that it was for their own advantage, as well as that of others, to avoid as much as possible ,the evil of protracted hours- ;' of business. . ', , ■ Mr John- Hay seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously, as were all the other resolutions proposed during the evening. The proceedings were terminated ,ty votes of thanks to the speakers, to those who had attended the meeting, and to the Chairman, being proposed, respectively, by Mr Low, Mr Bain, and Mr Cato, membersof the Association. • ,