POLITICAL NOTES.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11340, 1 August 1902, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

(SPECIAL TO "TTIK PRESS."} WELLINGTON, July 31. FACTORIES ACT. Tlie Factories Act Amendment BiJl, which is being introduced in tlie Legislative Council, provides that the working- hours of boys or women may not be extended unless the occupier of tfo? factory has first obtained a permit from the Inspector, who» mar refuse it if ha thinks the extension would be hurtful to the health of the persons concerned. Tlie minimum wage clause in the principal Act for young persons is amended by providing that not kss than 5.1 a w.ek sh*i-ii be paid during the first yea.r of employment for every person under 20 years of age, with an annual increase of! not less than 3s a week during every succeeding yp;>r of c :np:nyn. nf in the same trade until foe is 20 years of age. expenditure; of road grants. As the result of the meeting of country members, held yesterday, when it was de.cided to approach the Government nnd impress upon them' the necessity of making load grants aviilable as soon as possible ;>fter they are appropriated, in order that tii* money may be spent at the proper rea>*r>n of the yeitr, a deputation, comprising Messis J. \V. Thompson, W. IT. Henies. J. O'.Meara, and W. Field, waited upon tho Acting-Prsmier and Minister of Lands, and askfd them to give effect to the wishes of the meeting:. Botii Ministers expmsetl sympathy with the object irdicated, and said that the Government would use their best endeavours to spend the money voted as fir as ways and m. ars allows '<. They also promised that a* far as possible authority wcu'd be given to local bodies to proceed with the works at the earliest possible time. RAILWAY lIOLLIXG STOCK. This evening Mr G. W. Eus-.-dl strongly condemned U:c action of th? Gcvtrnment in importing edgings and railway carriages from America. He said we had net made ;tn effort to meet our own requirement". H3 was not aware that one hour overcime had been worked in the. -or thattwo shifts had be?n kept going in order to construct our own rolling stork. If two yhiits had been worked we would have had thousands of a.iti*-ans aj:d mechanics psiirinsf into the colony. Tlie engimes brougiit from America were to.) heavy for our lines. Keven of t'liem were lying , at Addington for weeks, covered with rainias, and workmen were Busily employed on iSurdays ]>ulling up the tracks between Christch'urch and Lyttdton, amd C'hris-rrhurch and Islirj-ton, "and putting down heavier metal to b?ar the increased weight, and at Dairmni, whon one of thew eng.i\c< ran into the siding, th? track spread. Kach of the carriages from America cost £196 more than they could have b:?in built for in our own workshops, yet within a year one by one these carriages hadbpfn taken into'Addington to be torn to pieces and reconstructed on the New Zealand pattern.