On Friday a . second reading was given to the Private
Member's Bill which embodied the recommendations of the Shop Hours Committee, regulating the hours of opening shops in the interest of the assistants. (It leaves unanswered the curious question, if all shops . open and close simultaneously, when does the shop- assistant shop ?) One clause was opposed, namely, that which exempts from control the "one man" shop. It seems a quite unwarrantable interference with personal liberty, not the liberty to oppress an assistant, if a shop- keeper must by law stop work at a fixed hour, and we rather fear the influence of the big " store " and " mul- . tiple " shop in oppressing a small rival. But it seems • that this clause will be dropped rather than give the "one man" an advantage. The rest of the Bill is- directed against survivals of War-time regulations imposed to save lighting and heating and the consumption of luxuries. For instance, it will be possible to buy • eatables during the whole evening at a theatre, and if the rising generation cannot tolerate a play, say of Mr. Shaw, without the consolation of sucking a sugar- plum, we are sure that neither the playwright, nor the actors, nor anyone else will grudge them the liberty.
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