BOYS UNDER 16

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 142, 17 June 1937, Page 10

BOYS UNDER 16

STARTING BEFORE 7 A.M

MILK VENDERS FINED

The starting time of boys employed on milk rounds was the subject of charges brought in the Petone Court yesterday against George Robert Kells Edward Caley, and Walter .Joseph Ryan of employing boys one in each case) under the age of 16, befoie 7

'Mr F. W. Ashby, Inspector of Factories, said that the charges were laid under section 4 (2) of the Shops and Offices Act, 1921-22, dealing with the sale of milk, etc., which provided that no boy or girl under the age of 16 years should be employed before 7 a'Tti the case concerning Ryan, who employed a- boy aged 14 years 8 months, the inspector said the boy was seen delivering milk at 6 a.m. He said he started at 4.45 a.m., his wages being £1 2s 6d a week. In Kells's case, the boy he employed was aged 14 years 10 months and he started delivering milk at 5.25 am. His wages were £1 a week and he was engaged by a roundsman. In Caley's case, the boy was aged 14 years 4 months, and he was seen delivering milk at 5.30 a.m. Apparently his starting time was about 4 am. The defendant stated in a letter that the boy's wages were 30s a week. The defendants put forward in explanation the difficulty of getting boys over 16 to. do the work. The boys were big for their age and looked older than they were. Kells said he did not engage the boy himself, and the other two defendants said they judged by the boys' appearance that they were 16. The Magistrate (Mr. H. P. Lawry, S.M.) said that these cases could be regarded as a warning and the penalties would therefore be light. Caley and Ryan would be fined 10s each and Kells ss.