THE FACTORY ACT.

Evening Star, Issue 3938, 8 October 1875, Page 3

THE FACTORY ACT.

To the Editor. Sir,—Without entering upon any argument with the opponents of Mr Reid’s amendment to the Factory Act allow me to give a little more fully than was reported the illustration I gavoat the Athenaeum meeting of the practical bearing the amendment has on industries where a large amount of capital is required to be invested in machinery. Fake a business having say L 50,000 invested in machinery and wo,lcing plant. Say that such a business by work 1 ing the machinery only ei lit hours returns a I profit of 1.3,000. Interest at ten per j cent, on the capital would n quire a j return of T 5,000, so that o loss would I he incurred of 1.2,000. One or other of I the following would bo the result: either ca.pi- ! tal would not be invested, and so the industry ' would not be established ; or a lower rate of wages would have to be fixed than at first contemplated, so as to raise the profits to the required amount to pay capital But let Hv same machinery be worked sixteen hours, human labor being res.rioted to eight hours, and you would have double the number of hands employed, and at the maximum rate ef wages as under the same conditions propounded for the eight Louis, a profit would be shown of 1.(1 000, or LI,OOO over and above the 10 • er cent, on the v As your concspoiidciifc “Mercy” insinuate* (for he docs not directly assert it) that s-1 interest prompted me to take the view I have done of Mr Reid's amendment, allow me say that I have no personal interest in the dusgielov any other factory, i-ut I ha-.e, as every true colonist and friend of the workiiu; classes ought to have, a personal inteiesfc in p ousting against any uncalled-for emuse ct legislation which would tend to mi,-pie a: • possibly prevent altogether the development os industries, and the profitable employment of capital in machinery. Taking the philanthropic, I bad almost raid the xmc i f ul view of the amendmet, do tit •p..oncn‘B of the n.cuur- not sec tbit 1 \ ir.iting the horns of 1 ibor to ei )u In.u.s, an xtendiug the vvoridug (d‘ the machinery I ■ •velve hours it will pr.io'ic:dly reduce (;, emirs of labor of women and child, cn to s. a >nrs, ns in keep the nvichinmv working lw< 1 •• < i/ms i:>.ro must be two idnfts of six hop. •*acli. I am nut a capi'aUH, and at pics-.nt ■lave i,o income tint that of my drily Libor, y - 1 ’ bare j,..*. to snv :h,d ; • : i ’ • ('(•q -eilUCiuLb of V, i/iji.ii All liuiiOCe,,...!! y ; 1 I itrictive legijlation, which vill prevent the

mployment profitably of capital in Industrie* hero machinery mu-t be employed on n larg< rale.— i am, &0,, J. L. Gillies, Dunedin, October 7.