H.—6

10

Dunedin. —One case (three charges) under the Factories Act, for failing to give females halfholiday on Saturday from 1 p.m.; penalty, £2, with £2 Bs. costs. Biverton. —Three cases under the Shop and Shops-assistants Act Amendment Act, for failing to close shops at 9 p.m. on Saturday; penalties, nil, 9s. costs in each case. June, 1896. Auckland. —Pour cases under the Factories Act. One case (four separate charges), breach of section 58, by employing boys under sixteen years of age without permit. Conviction on three charges ; penalty, 135., with £8 4s. costs. One charge dismissed. One case, breach of section 20 ; penalty, Is., with £1 10s. costs. One case (four separate charges), breach of section 54, working boys under sixteen years before 7.45 a.m.; conviction on one charge; penalty, Is., with £1 Is. costs. Three other charges withdrawn. One case under the Shops Act, breach of sections 5 and 13, for employing clerk four hours and a half on Saturday afternoon. Case dismissed, the Magistrate ruling that, in this instance, there was no breach of the Act. Gisborne. —One case under the Shops Act, for failing to close shop on afternoon of day appointed for weekly half-holiday ; penalty, 55., with 7s. costs. Wellington. —Four cases under the Shops Act, for failing to close shops on afternoon of day appointed for weekly half-holiday; penalties in two eases, £2, with £1 18s. costs, and £2, with £1 Bs. costs; conviction obtained in third case, no penalty. In fourth case defendant fined £2. with £1 Bs. costs ; but, after a rehearing, with witnesses to prove that the shop was closed, the case was dismissed. Invercargill. —One case under the Factories Act, for permitting four employes under eighteen years to be employed on half-holiday. Convicted, and ordered to pay costs. Biverton. —One case under the Shops Act, for failing to close on half-holiday; penalty, Is., with 9s. costs. July, 1896. Auckland. —One case under the Shops and Shop-assistants Act, breach of section 5, fo r employing persons who deliver goods for closed shops during afternoon of half-holiday ; penalty on two charges, Is., with £1 7s. 6d. costs, and Is., with£l ss. 6d. costs. The Magistrate only inflicted nominal fine, as defendants bore the character of being good employers. Wellington. —Three cases. One breach of Shops and Shop-assistants Act—holding auction sale in business premises on legal half-holiday ; penalty, 55., with £1 14s. costs. Two cases, Factories Act, breach of section 63, failing to grant legal half-holiday to female employes; penalty, first case, £2, and £1 10s. costs ; and in the other case, £3, with £1 Bs. costs. August, 1896. Auckland.-— Two cases under the Factories Act. One for employing youth under eighteen years of age on Saturday afternoon; penalty, 10s., with £1 10s. costs. The other case, for not keeping sanitary accommodation in cleanly condition ; penalty, 10s., with £1 12s. costs. Napier. —Three cases. Two under the Shops and Shop-assistants Act, for failing to close shop on afternoon of day appointed for weekly half-holiday ; penalties, 2s. 6d., with costs, 17s. 6d. each. The third case, under the Factories Act, for employing youths under eighteen years of age on Saturday afternoon ; case withdrawn, defendant admitting offence and paying costs, £1 Is. Wellington. —Four cases. Three under the Shops and Shop-assistants Act; two for failing to give hotel-assistants the weekly half-holiday; penalties, £1, and costs, £1 Bs. each; the third, for failing to close shop on afternoon of day appointed for weekly half-holiday; penalty, £1, with £1 Bs. costs. In the fourth case, under the Factories Act, there were two charges for employing women between 6 p.m. and 7.45 a.m., without a permit, and one charge for paying less than 6d. per hour for overtime ; penalty on the first charge, £5 ; in the other two cases defendant was convicted and discharged; costs allowed in the three charges, £2 14s. Invercargill. —One case under the Shops and Shop-assistants Act: two charges, one for employing men on afternoon of day appointed for weekly half-holiday, penalty, 55., and £1 Bs. costs; the other charge, for failing to close premises on the same afternoon, dismissed. September, 1896. Auckland. —One case under the Shops and Shop-assistants Act: breach of section 5; employing a carter during afternoon of half-holiday; penalty, Is., with £1 6s. costs. His Worship said defendant had evidently acted under the impression that a carter in a wood-yard did not come within the provisions .of the Act, consequently only a nominal penalty was necessary. Wellington. —Four cases. One case consisted of an appeal against a ruling in favour of the department given by Mr. J. C. Martin, S.M. A shopkeeper refused to close his shop on Wednesday upon the plea that he was advised legally he could choose Monday without the consent of the department, he not having applied during the month of January. The Magistrate said that no doubt the defendant was acting under bad advice, and convicted without inflicting a penalty. Defendant appealed, and his honour the Chief Justice briefly dismissed the appeal with costs, £6 6s. One case: breach of section 5, Shops and Shop-assistants Act; bringing shop-assistants back to work on weekly half-holiday; penalty, 10s., with £1 Bs. costs. Defendant pleaded pressure of work made him take the risk of being detected in a breach of the Act. Two cases under the Factories Act: one case, breach of section 63, failing to grant half-holiday after 1 p.m. ; and one case, breach of section 55, failure to pay 6d. per hour overtime to women employed in laundry; penalty, £2, with £1 Bs. costs in each case.