WORKMENS' WAGES BILL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4112, 25 September 1884, Page 4

WORKMENS' WAGES BILL.

Tho Worlcmeus' Wages Bill, introduced by Mr Cadmriu, is an Act for the better securim: of workmen's wages. Workman means and includes any artisan, laborer, or workman emrairod on work or labor tv be paid for by the - day or by the piece. _ Any workman whose wages remain unpaid for twenty-four hours after the lime at which they should have been paid may apply to any Justice of the Peace for a summons caiiiny upon the employer to appear before a Resident Magistrate to answer the demand, and the Justice may grant leave to the workman to serve a notice of attachment of moneys, specifying the sum sued for, upon any employer of such workman's employer. All such moneys attached shall remain in the hands of the persons holding the same until judgment be given in the case, unless the Resident Magistaate in whose court the ease is to be heard shall otherwise order on tho application of any person served with any such notice. No attachment shall be for more than sixty days' wages. On obtaining judgment the workman" may obtain an order for payment of moneys attached. The person served with an order to pay a workman out of moneys attached is not to do so till the expiry of seven days. The demands of workmen aro to be paid according to priority of notice, but all notices served within seven days of the first of such notices of attachment upon the same person shall be deemed to be served simultaneously, for the purpose of securing the equal distribution of the moneys attached amongst all workmen serving s'ueh notices within the aforesaid seven days. Tho person served with notice will be liable only for amounts duo by him to the workman's employer. If the person served with notice fail to pay he may be sued by the workman, who will bo able to recover in bis own name the moneys attached - On .satisfaction of demand attachment of moneys will cease to operate. Tho workman upon payment will bo required to ■sign a discharge. Persons furnishing materials to any person for any work to be done shall be deemed to bo the workman within the meaning of this Act, and the persons for whom such materials are furnished shall be deemed to be their employers for the purpose of this Act, so far as to enable such first-mentioned persons to avail themselves of the provisions of this Act for the recovery of the debts due to them. No person for whom any work is being done shall pay any employer of workmen in advance or beforehand' for any such work, unless such advance or beforehand-payment is applied towards the payment for to be used in the work to bo done. Nothing in this Act contained shall be construed to prejudice any other remedy which a workman may have against his employer m rcfcvpect of the debt due to him, or, save as expressly provided, to affect any right subsisting under any contract between any employer of labor and the person employing him. The Contractors' Debts Act, 1871, is repealed.