FACTORY LEGISLATION IN VICTORIA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11947, 22 January 1901, Page 2

FACTORY LEGISLATION IN VICTORIA.

_ • Our colonies are much more ready than •ourselves to make legislative experiments, and the oolony of. Victoria has this year passed a new Factories and Shop Act which is far in advance of anything that we have in Britain. It iB too early yet to say how the act will affect the condition of the -workers, but it may be worth while to narrate the ; steps by which the Legislature has been led to pass an act which fixes a minimum wago for almost every trade, and makes the word " factory " cover even the smallest workshop. The first Victorian Factory Aot was passed in 1874. It defined a factory as a place where not loss than 10 persons were. employed. Women's work was limited to eight hours a • day; but the Chief Secretary had power to suspend .that clause. ... In. 1895 a new > bill was passed by the Lower House of Parliament, but was rejected by the Upper. It had embodied the principle of the minimum wage, appointed trade boards to regulate prices, and regulated shop hours and holidays. It contained also a provision for the inspection of indoor work, and it was on this that it was wrecked in the Upper Chamber. But before Parliament reassembled it bccame evident that the people of Victoria had set their heart on tho hill. The Metropolitan Board j of Works had already adopted a minimum rate , of wages of 6s a dr,y for men between the ' ages of 20 and 55. In 1896 the bill was introduced again, and this time it became law. One of its provisions has a certain interest for us now, since we also are threatened with an inroad of Chinese labour. It ran that " four persons other than Chinese, and one Chinese should -constitute a factory." This was evidently to prevent these aliens from working under the insanitary conditions which make their presence a publio danger, as well as an imfaii handicap on native workers. The bill also provided that a record of outside work should be kept, with the names and addresses of the workers.Power 3 were given to appoint boards to fix the minimum rate of wages in various trades, half the members of the board to be elected by employers and half by employed. ... An act w&s passed this year extending the minimum wage principle to almost all trades, authorising the Governor-in-Council to appoint boards to fix the wage, and making regulations for the inspection of all places where work is done for trades under these hoards, whether they be factories or not. " Contracting out" of the fixed wage is forbidden, as is also the "truck" systoiu' and the paying of a premium by apprentices in the clothing trades. The hours of work are limited to 52 per week for males as well as females. Tho act is passed for two years' only. _ At the end of that time it will be interesting to find out if it has so far diminished tho evils it is meant to attack as to justify its being made permanent,—The Hospital.