In the Honse of Lords on Tuesday Lord Avebury moved
for a Select Committee to inquire into the hours of labour in shops, and whether any, and if so what, stops could be taken to reduce them. Lord Salisbury agreed, but trusted that Lord Avebury would not merely adduce the evidence of philan- thropic sentimentalists, but would also inquire as to the feel- ings of the working men, whose choice of hours for purchasing the necessaries of life would be limited. He also repudiated the notion that the Government would be in any way bound by any report which might be made by the Committee. It will be very interesting to see what opinions the Committee obtain from practical shopkeepers. We imagine that people will be surprised at the anxiety of many of those who keep shops themselves to find some means of reducing the selling hours. We fear, however, that it will prove impossible to regulate shopping hours by statute, though we are by no means convinced that the power of voluntary action and agreement to stop excessive hours has been exhausted. The custom of Saturday afternoon closing has made great strides, yet it is purely voluntary.
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