THE FACTORIES ACT

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1536, 7 August 1901, Page 42

THE FACTORIES ACT

(From the “Auckland Star,” July 24th.) The new “Factories Act” professes to be a consolidating measure, but in reality it introduces new principles of the most far-reaching kind. Hitherto, th e regulation of adult factory labour has been wisely left for adjustment to the Courts of Conciliation and Arbitral tion, which, after careful investigation of the conditions affecting an industry, have settled hours and rates of pay for ordinary work and overtime. But apparently the Government have lost faith. I in the Arbitration Court, because the j new “Factories Act” proposes to fix i hours . and pay on arbitrary hard and fafit lines for all industries. If adopted it will over-ride the awards made ; by the Arbitration Court after prolonged investigations in several industries. Tak e the recent award given by Mr JusI tice Cooper at Christchurch in th e boot trade, which has been accepted by the whole colony. This provides for eight hours’ work per day, time and a parter for overtime, and a rat© of pay which seems to be regarded by both workmen and employers as providing a fair working scale. But if the Factories Act passes in its present shape working hours will be reduced to 45 nominally, but really 44, because owing to the clause compelling a four hours' interval for meals work must end at noon on Saturday. Overtime is restricted to thirty days in a year, and is to be paid for as time and a halt. Besides paying this high rate for over* time, six holidays on full pay mvst be given every year. Now, it is notorious that the boot-making trade is in a stagnant and perilous condition. Notwithstanding a 22£ per cent, tariff the importation of boots, especially from America, has increased considerably, and a very small increase in cost of product tion would lead to further importations and loss cf employment to many workmen. What has been stated of this industry is true of all others. The conditions affecting their working should only be changed after careful*investigation.

The author of this Bill, being apparently deficient in wit and originality, has simply applied to all workers indis* criminately the restrictions which in previous Acts were drawn up for the protection of women and children. The result is perfectly ludicrous. Take the printing trade, with which we are specially familiar, as an example. As there are a number of female type-setters in the colony, a special provision was in« serted in the Factories Act enabling them when employed on evening newspapers to work until half-past four o’clock on Saturday afternoon. The genius who tinkered up the new Act has simply struck out the word female and prohibited the employment of any person, male or female, in a printing office, after half*past four o’clock on Saturday, while on Easter Monday and the Sovereign’s Birtnaay type-setters are specially licensed to. work, but the employment of machinists, stereotypers and other descriptions of labour engaged in the production of a paper is absolutely prohibited. As Tor Labour Day, which is observed by no one in Auckland except Government .officials, neither morning nor evening newspa* pers can be produced without breaking the law. On the night preceding this sacred day the entire printing staff of a morning paper must knock off at midnight, and they must be set to work after the stroke of twelve on the following night in order to get out the next day’s paper!

These crudities show how loosely this statute, which seriously affects every industry in New Zealand, has been drawn. The best thing the Government can do is to withdraw the clauses of the Bill affecting the hours and pay of men, leaving the Arbitration Court to settle the conditions of adult labour in fac* tories as heretofore, after full inquiry into th e circumstances of every case. Intelligent industrious men only require reasonable protection. They do not want coddling and dry nursing. Any man worth his salt will resent the attempt to deprive him of every vestige of liberty of action in tne use of his working capacities, so long as he has power under the Conciliation and Ar* biration Act to protect himself J