I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that shop assistants welcomed his action in regard to the order for the 6 o'clock closing. The only fault we had to find was that local authorities were too quick in deciding for a later hour. I have a list here, and I am glad to say that something like 60 authorities in England adhered to the 6 o'clock order and that in no case did they go beyond that. In other cases, authorities extended it by half an hour and in some cases extended it only one night.

The right hon. Gentleman mentioned what happened during the last war. We know that in the last war people had to stand in queues outside the doors of the provision shops. The result was that they had to be early on the scene. One effect of that was that they quickly accommodated themselves to the changed conditions and that, after the war, in scores of towns in this country, the principal traders continued to close their shops at 6 p.m. or 6.30 p.m. That was one reason why the traders and the shop assistants' union put forward their case before the Select Committee in 1931, urging that an Amendment should be made to the existing Shops Act, in order to enable local authorities, on a plebiscite of the shopkeepers themselves, to make it possible for them to close an hour earlier than 7 o'clock. Now the right hon. Gentleman says that he has been subjected to a considerable amount of criticism. He need not worry about that criticism when he knows the quarter from which it comes. The criticism is largely stirred up by a certain newspaper. I have here a cutting from that newspaper, and it says: To-day's revolt meeting. It was to be at Islington. Sir John, the shops need an extra hour. Sir John Anderson, Home Secretary, is going to hear from traders in revolt to-day. They will ask him questions like these:'Why are we denied the opportunity to do business at the time when there is the most demand for our services? Will you save us from unnecessary losses be at once approving of 8 p.m. closing, with an extension to 9 p.m. on Saturdays?'First shots in the traders' revolt will he fired to-day from Islington, N. It is early closing day in Islington. When the shops are closed the traders will go this afternoon to the Central Library, Holloway Road, Islington. You would imagine that the central library would be insufficient to hold the revolters. Not only the traders in revolt but customers were invited to attend, and to join in this revolt.

I am glad to be able to inform the House that that revolt was a fiasco. When the resolution was submitted to the meeting only 14 voted for it and most of the speeches at the meeting were against any extension of hours. All that they were concerned about was getting more light. One of the things they mentioned was about certain people working overtime so that they could not do their shopping. I cannot have very much sympathy for people who are working overtime when 1,300,000 workers are unemployed. This is not a time for overtime. I am very sorry that the right hon. Gentleman has told us that he cannot continue the Order throughout the year. If that is so, surely there is a case for limitation of the hours of the assistants. The other day this House expressed its sympathy, as does the whole country, for Finland in her fight to maintain her freedom and independence. It might interest the House to know that Finland set an example to this country by limiting the hours of shop assistants to 47 per week. In this country, even at the present time, assistants over 18 years of age are working 60, 70 and 80 hours a week, and there is no legal ogligation on the employers in the slightest degree. Last February, and that is a year ago next month, I introduced a Bill proposing that adult assistants should come under the 48-hour week. The Government opposed that—