FACTORY INSPECTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 209, 28 May 1908, Page 2

FACTORY INSPECTION.

STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR OF DUNEDIN.

PROMPT INQUIRIES BY THE MINISTER. . for TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL COUKESPOSBENI.) .■ Dunedin, May 27. Tho Minister for Labour made .himself perfectly clear in the course of his'reply to a deputation this morning as to the function of_ the ladies who have- recently been-ap-pointed ;ih charge of the labour bureaux. They arc intended, ivlien deemed necessary b.v the chief inspector'of :factories ' of.'the ' district, to inspect and report on any factory. Thus, in place of there boing only one lady inspector of factories travelling through the South;lsland, there will be one permanently resident iii well as one in Wellington, Christchurch', and Aucldand;'', In addition, there will bo a "chief : lady' in-'' spoctor, who will travel .through 'New Zealand, taking her instructions' from tho chief , inspector of factories at the head office; The Mayor (Mr. John M'Donald)'said; in the course of the" interview:—" W aire'' led '• to believo that a numher' of the poorer child-• ren starting' work at fourteen years of age are employed, by poorer peoplo who a. class of manufacture we know nothing of. 1 Some,. I am told, are employed in .cellars where tho only (light they get is from' StoU windows- on tho street, and when the streets' are being cleaned ■ the dust gets into these places in clouds. The only healing 1 is by'gas( or oil stoves. It is at these early, ages that' young people want'looking'after before'th'ejr ■ maturo into womanhood."' -V.".'" To this tho Hon. J. A. Millar, replied':— "I' am greatly surprised to hear the remarks made by the Mayor that there aire factories in'this town in underground cellars whore there'is no light except what. comea ' from' glass in the streets, and where'the heating is done by gas or oil Jdmps'. '-. Before . half an hour has expired, the chief inspector 1 of factories, who is now in Dunedin,'.'will have to come to me and give mp a list' of the . factories,'and before he. leaves'Dunedin 'I will make him go into every registered'factory in Diinedin and report to me on'the condition of those factories, and if 1 there is work going on in rooms of that sort someone in the local Department will suffer before many days are'over. I ani not aware of it, and if such a thing is allowed to'exist it is. contrary to any information in the hands of tho Department?' ■ ' " . ■ ' Subsequently, tho Minister told a reporter that ho had thoroughly investigated the raatThere was a case,, he said, where a collar had been used; It had'been certified to by the health authorities as a suitably place, but it had not been used'as,a factory for the last fifteen-months, tho owners'having secured other premises. A further case was investigated where it appeared that an underground workroom had oeen used for a little while by a . milliner. The size of the building, the lighting,' and' the ventilation complied with the requirements of the; Factories Act, but , owing to the sanitary arrangements not being of a character which was satisfactory to the officers of the' Department, although it complied with the law, steps wero taken to get the occupier to obtain better, and more convenient premises, and that was done! That happened about six months ago. _ •. " With the exception of these two'places,'', said the Minister, " there is; no factory'' regis-, tered in Dunedin at ;tho .present ; time.; of which any reasonable complaint has ever: ox- '' istcd, nor do the records of the. Department nhow that: any 'complaint has ever beep" made." •': ■