POLITICAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 259, 28 October 1897, Page 7

POLITICAL.

HOURS OF LABOUR.

The Eight Hours Bill introduced by the Premier provides that, except where the employer is a local authority, the Act shall apply only to workers employed in factories registered under the Factories Act, 1894 (not being dairy factories) or inor about mines. In all contracts for the employment of a worker, a working day Khali be deemed a period of eight consecutive hours, exclusive of an interval for meals on each of five days in the week, and five consecutive working hours on one day of the week. Except in the cases and subject to the conditions prescribed by section 55 of the Factories Act, 1894, it shall not be lawful for any employer to employ any worker to work for more than eight working* hours in any one day, or for more than 45 working hours in any one week, or to dismiss any worker for refusing so to do. For this purpose section 55 of the Factories Act, 1894 (excepting the first paragraph thereof) shall extend and apply to every worker as defined by this Act. For a breach of this section the penalty to an employer is not less than five nor more than £20, to be recovered before a Stipendiary Magistrate bjr the Inspector of Factories, but in cases of emergency involving- danger to life or property, the worker may be employed longer hours, for which the payment must be not less than time and a half. Where an employer employs a worker in breach of the Act then, irrespective of the penalty, as aforesaid, he is liable to pay to the worker wages at double the ordinary amount with full costs, any contract or agreement to the contrary notwithstanding. Nothing in the Act is to be construed to in any way affect the provisions of the Factories Act, 3894, respecting holidays or the hours for commencing or ceasing work, or the intervals for meals.

GRAND AND SPECIAL JURIES.

The Hon. Thos. Thompson's Juries Act Amendment Bill abolishes distinctions between special and common juries, and provides that inquiries in civil or criminal cases may be heard by a common jury. Grand juries are abolished, and for the purpose of bringing a criminal case under cognition of the Supreme Court the bill of indictment shall be signed by the Attorney - General, SolicitorGeneral, or Crown Solicitor appointed for the same, and shall be as valid and effectual as a bill of indictment preferred before a grand jury. Provision is made for exempting certain persons from serving on juries. Juries in civil cases arc. to be paid eight shillings^ day, and in criminal cases six shillings. In the trial of all criminal and civil cases to which the Queen is party there is to be the same right of challenge on behalf of the Queen as any prisoner or party by law now possesses.

SUNDAY LABOUR IN MINES.

The Sunday Labour in Mines Prevention Bill introduced by the Premier provides that except in cases where the written authority of the Inspector of Mines has been obtained it shall not be lawful for any person or company directly or indirectly to employ any workmen on Sunday for hire or reward to do any skilled or unskilled manual labour in or about any mine within the meaningl of the Mining Act,lS9l,or the Coal Mines Act, IS9I. The Inspector of Mines may only permit work in cases where there is risk of injury to a mine. The penalty for breach of the Act is not exceeding one pound. VICTORIA COLLEGE. A Bill introduced by the Premier proposes to establish in Wellington a college connected with the New Zealand University. It proposes to establish four Queen's scholarships, the candidates being scholars from the primary public schools, whether Government or not, each scholarship being of the value of £25, or £50 if the holder prosecutes his studies elsewhere than at his home, the term of scholarship to be five years. The Colonial Treasurer is to pay yearly £4,000, and several blocks of land in Wellington district are to be set aside as endowments, but shall remain vested in the Crown. There are general provisions for audit, etc. THE BELLAMY'S LIQUOE POLL. The result of the ballot of both Houses on Oct. 13 on the question whether the sale of liquors at Bellamy's shall continue was : — Legislative Council : Ayes, 30 ; noes, 4. House of Representatives : Ayes, 46 ; noes, 21. Total ayes, 76 ; noes, 25 ; majority in favour of continuance of the sale of liquor, 51. POST AND TELEGRAPH. According to the annual report laid on the table of the House the increase in revenue from the dual departments for the year ending 31st March last was £26,389, or 7.22 per cent. The balance of revenue over expenditure was £38,417, or, including the value of official correspondence and Government telegrams, a

balance of £143,144 in favour of the department on the year's transactions. Letters posted in the colony showed an increase of 905,398 forwarded. Telegrams of all codes showed an increase of 395,958.

EDUCATION.

In his annual report on the schools of the colony the Minister of Education states that the average number of pupils on the rolls of the public schools in 1896 was 132,725, the "working- average," on which capitation is paid, being- 110,517. The working average attendance wa52,123 higher than in the year previous.The returns show that of the number on the rolls more than one-sixth were absent. The boys as usual outnumbered the girls. At examination time there were 131,171 children on the roll, of which number 85,795 presented themselves for examination in standards ,and 71,423 passed. The percentage of passes was slightly lower than in the year previous. The number of schools open rose during- the year from 1,464 to 1,533. There were 3,706 teachers, whose total salaries amounted to £353,409, an average of £94 14s Bd. It seems that about about 22 per cent, of children attending the public schools leave without passing the fourth standard, and about 39 per cent, remain after they have passed the sixth, while those who leave after passing the fourth and fifth, respectively are about 23 per cent, and 1G per cent. About 8 per cent, leave before they are 13, and 45 per cent, remain till they have passed the age of 15.

LUNATIC ASYLUMS.

The annual report on the lunatic asylums of the colony for 1891 states that the total number of inmates on December Ist, 1596, was 2,315, males 1,390, females 925, an increase over 1895 of 61 males and 40 females. The Auckland total was 425, Christchurch 478, Dunedin (Seacliffe) 474. The proportion of the total insane to the total population, exclusive of Maoris, was 1 in 308, inclusive of Maoris, 1 in 326. On the Ist January, 1896, the number of insane per- j sons in the asylums was 2,214, of which 1,329 were males and 885 females. Attention is strongly called to the terrible overcrowding in the asylums and the need of a suitable institution for idiots and imbeciles, whose presence in the existing asylums is detrimental to the recovery of sensitive curable and convalescent cases. The total gross expenditure for the year was £61,535, total net expenditure, £49,284; net cost per patient, 3s lOd less than in the previous year. The Sunnyside Asylum again shows the best results, the net cost per patient being £16 16s B|d, the general average for the! colony being £22 9s B|d. The cost per patient in each asylum is : —Auckland, £22 5s B|d; Christchurch, £16 16s B|d ; Seacliffe, £23 13s 7£d; Wellington, £20 4s Hid. LABOUR REPORT. The annual report of the Labour Department, laid on the table of the House yesterday afternoon, is of a more hopeful character than reports of previous years. It states that the number of men assisted during the year ending 31st March last was 1,718, a decrease of 1,153 compared with the previous year. With the exception of the printing trade skilled trades have been very active. Many compositors are out of employment, trained and industrious workmen daily finding services dispensed with. The reasons for non-participation of the printing trade in the general activity are employment of boy labour and irresistible advance of laboursaving machinery. The accommodation being provided for the comfort of employees in factories is satisfactory. Certain New Zealand factories, the report says, are models of comfort so far as employees are concerned. In connection with technical education, the report refers to the necessity for instruction in domestic economy, and considers such training should be of such a character that those obtaining it would be capable of domestic service or superintendence. Much stress is also laid on the necessity for the introduction of legislation on the lines of the English Workmen's Compensation Act.

MASTERS AND APPRENTICES BILL

The Master;? and Apprentices Bill, bearing Mr Seddon's name, lias just been circulated. It has been modified in several important particulars. To begin with apprentice is defined to mean one apprentice to a skilled handicraft, instead of including those at unskilled occupations, but power is given to the Governor-in-Council to declare any occupation a skilled one. The limit of the age of apprentices is fixed at fourteen to twenty, instead of twelve to eighteen as in last year's Bill. The provisions as to the term and compulsory nature of apprenticeship remain as before. Last year's Bill fixed the wages of apprentices at not less than 5s weekly for the first year, with yearly increase of not less than 2s 6d, whereas the new Bill proposes to regulate their wages by the standard rate payable to journeymen at the same occupation in the proporsion of 10 per cent, during the first quarter, 20 per cent, during the second, 35 per cent, during the third, and 50 per cent, during the fourth quarter of the term of apprenticeship. The proportion of apprentices to journeymen is fixed by the third schedule at one apprentice to every factory employing four journeymen or less, with an additional apprentice for every four journeymen, but this is not to increase the proportion fixed by custom and agreement, or by award of the Arbitration Court. The schedule of last year's hill was left blank in this respect, and power was proposed to be given to the Governor - in - Council to fix the proportion of apprentices to journeymen. A new clause appearing in this year's bill provides that deeds of apprenticeship may be cancelled at any time by a Stipendiary Magistrate on summary application by any of the parties thereto if the magistrate is satisfied the master has relinquished business or that all parties to the deed consent. THE AWARUA ELECTION. T'.:e Privileges Committee appointed to deal with the objections raised to Mr J. G. Ward's election for Awarua submitted its report to the House of Representatives on October 7. The three resolutions adopted are :—l. The Committee recom-' mends that the Law of New Zealand be amended and brought into conformity with the law of England with regard to the bankruptcy of candidates and members, and that the Government be requested to bring in a Bill at an early date, but that the present cases should not be prejudiced. 2. That a separate Bill be introduced referring the question of the Awarua seat to the Supreme Court in appellate jurisdiction. 3. That a law be enacted on the lines of the Canadian statute providing that in ' future any question of this kind shall be i referred to the Supreme Court on the j initiative of the Governor-in-Council. The I report was adopted by the House.

DUNEDIN CITY ELECTION.

A good deal, of interest was taken in the election for the Dunedin city seat,' rendered vacant by the death of Mr H. S. Fish, on October 13th, but everything passed oil" very quietly. A good many vehicles were in use, mostly in the interests of Mr Gourlay, who is a livery stablekeeper. Early in the day it became evident that the real struggle was between Mr Sligo and Mr Gourlay. The returns, with the exception ot two, came to hand very promptly, despite the heavy polling, 11,195 out of 14,801 having

recorded their votes. At ten minutes past nine p.m. the Returning Officer announced the numbers as follows :— Alexander Sligo 5,045 Hugh Gourlay 4,065 W. Hutchison ... ... 2,030 There were six seamen's votes, of which five were informal. The other was for Mr Sligo. _, The informal votes numbered 55. BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY. A deputation consisting chiefly of Auckland members of Parliament waited on the Premier on October 7 and asked that the Government would this session reintroduce Mr Ward's Beet Root Sugar Bill of 1895, and also that the machinery for the manufacture of sugar from beet root be admitted at the same rate of duty as agricultural and dairying machinery, namely, 5 per cent., instead of 20 per cent, as under the present tariff. Reference was made to the importance of the industry, and to the fact that encouragement was necesssary, as it would take° a company with £150,000 to successfully establish the industry. In reply the Premier reminded the deputation of the cool reception given Mr Ward's Bill when introduced, and said he did not intend submitting a Bill on the same lines." Experience had taught him there were other means of encouraging industries than by subsidising them. The Government would submit to the House certain proposals in the matter, bnt they had not yet arrived at that stage that he could tell the deputation their details.

The annual meeting of the National Association (Auckland section) was held on October2l at thepublic roomsof the Association, Queen-street. There was a representative attendance present, including ladies. Mr E. Bell presided in the absence of Mr W. H. Massey (President) at Wellington. Mr Hastie read the sixth annual report, which stated the necessity for a livelier interest in its work, and an increased vigilance in criticising the administration of the business of the colony. With reference to the work of the Association during the year, the attendance of members at meetings had not been so full and satisfactory, which might be partly explained because of their frequency compared with former years; and with regard to the Government of the country there had been exceptional circumstance's producing a laxity of interest in public affairs. Still, there was cause for gratification that the Association's aims and objects have been steadily advancing amid discouragements and political apathy where these were not expected to prevail. The following gentlemen were elected to the Council without opposition : —Messrs J. Batger, J. C. Colbeck, J. M. Mennie, W. F. Massey, M.H.R., Jno. Phillipps, T. Buddie, F. Mander, M. A. Clarke, D. B. McDonald, M. M. Kirkbride, A. W. Thomson, J. E. Taylor, Shepherd Allen. A hearty vote of thanks was tendered to Mr Hastie, the popular secretary of the Association, for his services. Mr Hastie returned thanks for the vote. Although he was desirous of withdrawing from the secretaryship he could assured them all that his very best wishes would always be with the Association.