Sunday Closing in England: Private Member’s Bill Introduced in Parliament: Jews May Keep Open if the

The text has been issued of the Bill presented to the House of Commons by Mr. E. F. Wise, Labour member for Leicester, to restrict the opening of shops and trading on Sunday.

The Bill is supported by Lieut Commander Kenworthy, (Labour), Mr. P. C. Hoffman (Labour), Mr. Arthur Taylor (Labour) Mr. Foot (Liberal), and Colonel Fremantle (Conservative).

The first clause of the Bill proposes that every shop shall, save as otherwise provided by this Act, be closed for the serving of customers on Sunday. The measure then proceeds to exempt from this general prohibition certain classes of shops. These are shops in which the only trade or business carried on is the sale by retail of intoxicating liquors, the sale of refreshments for consumption on the premises, including the business carried on at a railway station refreshment room, or the sale of motor, cycle, and aircraft supplies and accessories, newspapers and periodicals, or medicines and medical and surgical appliances. Local authorities may also by order exempt certain classes of shops from the prohibition during the whole or part of specified hours. An exemption order may be restricted to any part or parts of a local authority’s area. It may authorise sales on Sundays at times not within the hours prescribed in cases of emergency and in such other circumstances as may be specified or indicated in the order.

Nothing in the Bill or in any order under it, it is provided, however, is to prevent anybody of the Jewish religion carrying on the business of a shop on Sunday, provided he complies with the following provisions: (a) He shall not carry on the business of a shop on Saturday; and (b) he shall previously give notice to the local authority of his intention to carry on such business on Sunday; and (c) he shall cause to be kept conspicuously posted in the shop a notice stating that it is open on Sunday for the serving of customers but is not open on Saturday.