Factory Acts—Heavy Penalty.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 6753, 6 February 1892, Page 3

Factory Acts—Heavy Penalty.

At Clerbenwell Police Court, John Archer, the general manager of the Carlyle Press Company, Limited, printers and bookbinders, of Charter-house square, appeared to answer a number of summonses taken out against that company by Mr J. Lakoman, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Factories, The summonses charged the defendants with employing a largo number of girls under the age of fitteen ofter 8 pm, and with neglecting, in several cases, to obtain medical certificates of the girls’ fitness for employment. A separate summons was taken out for each day ou which the alleged infringements of tfao law occurred, the summonses amounting in all to 137. Mr Lakeman said the firm carried on a very extensive business, and had been frequently warned that they would be summoned if (ftey continued to over employ their girls. The warnings had been disregarded, and ho (Mr Dakeman) looked to the bench to assist him in preventing the factory laws Being tiampled

under foot in the way this company had done. In November twenty girls were employed for five nights in succession until ten oVlook at night. Their usual work was from eight a.m. till eight p.m., so the girls were employed for fourteen hours. The first summons related to the forewoman, Miss Orutwell. On Nov. 20 she went at eight in the morning, and she continued working all through that day a'hd night till one o’clock the next day (Saturday), when she left. She therefore worked twenty-nine hours right off. Another bad feature in the conduct of the firm was this : Twenty four girls who were employed at a neighbouring printing and bookbinding firm worked for twelve hours at that firm on Friday, November 20. Then they went straight to the Carlyle Press Company’s premises and worked all night, going back to their regular work of the other firm at eight next morning. The forewoman employed by the defendants said she did not know these girls had been working all day, or she would not have admitted them This bind of dealh-doaiing work was a fruitful cause of misery to the working-classes. The Magistrate said that the firm had been guilty of serious iufringmenta of the Factory Act, and he imposed Ones amounting to £55. The costs were £l9 14s, so that the total penalty waa £74 14s.