THE FACTORIES ACT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4426, 5 August 1901, Page 2

THE FACTORIES ACT.

(From the “Auckland Star,” July 241h.l The new “Factories Act” professed ° a . consolidating measure, but m reality it introduces now principles of the most far-reaching kind. Hitherto, the regulation of adult factory labour has been wisely left for adjustment to the Courts of Conciliation and Arbitra* turn, which, after careful investigation of the conditions affecting an industry, have settled hours and rates of pay tor ordinary work and overtime. But ap. parently the Government have lost faith in the Arbitration Court, because! tho new “Factories Act” proposes to fix hours and pay on arbitrary hard and fast lines for all industries. If adopted it will overwide tho awards made by the Arbitration Court after ed investigations in several industries. Tak e the recent award given by Mr Justice Cooper at Christchurch in the boot trade, which has been accepted by tho whole colony. This provides for eight hours’ work per day, time and a par. ter 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 shapo working hours will bo reduced to 45 nominally, but really 44, because owing to the clause compelling a four hours’ interval for meals work must oud at noon on Saturday. Overtime is restricted to thirty days in a year, and is to be paid for as time and a haft. 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 22J 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 industiy 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 th© restrictions which in previous Acts were drawn up for the. protection of women and children. Th© result is perfectly ludicrous. Take the printing trade, with which we are specially familiar, as an examjile. As there are a number of female typo-setters in the colony, a special provision was inserted 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 now Act has simply struck out the word female and prohibited th© 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 Birthday type-setters are specially licensed to work, but the employment of machinists, • ©tereotypors 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 iu Auckland except Government officials, neither morning nor evening newspapers can be produced without breaking the law. On th© night preceding this sacred day the entire printing staff of a morning paper must knock off at mid. night, and they must be set to work after th© stroke of twelve on the following night in order to get out tho next day’s paper! These crudities show how loosely this statute, which seriously affects ©very industry in New Zealand, has been drawn. Th© 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 fao* tories as heretofore, after full inquiry into th© 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 at l tempt to deprive him of every vestige of liberty of action in the use of his working capacities, so long as he has power under the Conciliation and At* biration Act to protect himself.