WORK AND WAGES.

Evening Star, Issue 14626, 24 July 1911, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES.

THE FACTORIES AMENDMENT ACT. The Labor Department has issued a circular calling attention to some important provisions of the Factories Amendment Act, 1910. The following is au addition to section 52 in respect of wages:—No deduction si tall be made from the uages of any boy or any woman tinder 16 year* ui age, except for time lost through the worker's illness or default, or on account of tin: temporary closing of the factory for cleaning or repairing the machinery. It is picvided that every woman and boy under IS years of age who has worked for i2O days during tho four weeks preceding a whole holiday mentioned in the Factories Act, or for at least four days during the week ending on the day on which the halfholiday occurs, shall be entitled to bo paid for such holiday or half-holiday. It is also provided that all boys under 18 years of age, and women under 21 years of age, and apprentices who are. paid by time wages, and who have been employed in tho factory during tho periods reierred to in tho previously-quoted .section, shal be entitled to be paid for every other local or general holiday or half-holi-day. THE TROUBJJi AT YVAIHI. Delegates from the Miners' Union waited upon the representatives of the mining companies at Waihi on Saturday afternoon in regard to the matters in dispute, as wired on Wednesday. The coinpniK:«' representatives indicated that they would not K'consider the question, and that tho agreement as drawn up must stand. A mass meeting of tho Miners' Union has been convened for to-morrow to consider the companies' decision.

The annual report of tho central branch of the Australian Workers' Union contains a distinct hint to the Government of New South Wales that the Union think they could be doing a, great deal more to bring about the glorious state of affairs, which was promised ail workers under a Labor f-iovernincnt-. "In some departments, such as the Justice and Works Departments, some little improvement is noticeable,'' the report states. '" In some of the others, especially in the Lands Department, there is room for va-t change. We have, the spectacle of a Minister of Lands elected on a platform providing for the immediate cessation of the sate of Crown lands putting up for public, a'action parcels of' the public estate, and the Political Labor League Kxoeauve ..landing idly by. either ovciawed by the pailiamentarians or too tired to brim; the Minister in book. Nothing much., if anything, of value t.r> the workers has as vet. been

placed on Hie Statute Book by the new Government. We must bear in mind, however, that with such a slender majority, and with the nominee Legislative Council to contend with, the task of the Labor Government is anything but a light one. What wo should expect, however, is some vast improvement on the administration .of past Governments."