The Factories Bill.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 5080, 16 September 1891, Page 3

The Factories Bill.

(by telegraph. ) FROM OUR OWX CORRESPON"DKNT.) Wellington, September 15. As supplementary to my brief message this afternoon m reference to the conference on the Factories Bill, I may add the full details of the results. It will be seen that the labor cause has been much bene- ! lited by the conference. A fair give-and-take arrangement has been arrived at. The results are as follow :—The number of employees necessary to constitute a factory, raised by the Upper House to six, has been lowered to three ; the minimum age for operatives has been, fixed at—males 13, females 14. The minimum age for Type-setters was originally 14, and was raised to 16. The conference have split the difference, and fixed the minimum at 15. It has been agreed, on the suggestion of the Lower House managers, that no woman shall work before 8 a.m., nor shall she work more than 8 hours per diem (except in woollen mills), or more than 48 hours per week in any factory. The overtime clause was considered very carefully, and it was agreed that 3 hours per diem on 20 days of the year might be taken for overtime, subject to the approval of the factory inspector. The Council carried one point. They struck out the educational clause requiring operatives to have passed the 4th standard. As a compensation, however, the House managers got an important concession. Appeals from the Inspector's decision are by the Council to be made to Boards of Health, which means eventually to municipal authorities. The House members got the Conference to agree that appeals shall, instead, be made to Resident Magistrates. An added clause exempting the railway service from the operation of the Act was struck out, and the Commissioners are, therefore, subject to it. Regarding cubic space, it was agreed that the maximum and minimum space should be fixed by regulation. The managers were : For the Council—Hon. Messrs Pollen, Bowen, and Stuart. For the House—Hon. Mr Reeves and Messrs Pinkerton and Tanner. I may venture to add, without fear of misconstruction, that the labor party are very much indebted to the Minister in charge of the Bill for his earnestness and persistency in their cause. No man deserves better of the workers of the land than the Hon. Mr Reeves.