Wellington Notes.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 84, 6 October 1896, Page 2

Wellington Notes.

~- o (From Our Own Correspondent) THE FACTORIES ACT. This is not stringent enough to suit the Trades Unions, for more stringent measures are demanded. As an example of how tbis meddlesome piece of legislation affects people the following instance will give an idea of its absolute cruelty to the poor. A family which a fow years ago was in affluent circumstances became reduced to poverty and, there being young children to look after, the mother applied for work tc an old friend in the clothing trade which she could do at her own house. He gave her some to do of tbe better paid sort, and sent a skilled workwoman to instruct ber. Down swooped one of the numerous inspectors the employers are pestered with here, and told the pcor woman that if she did work in her own house she would be required to register it as a factory, and to ticket all goods she delivered with a number corresponding with that on the register. This she was unable to do so she lost the right to labor and is now on the Charitable Aid. Another case. An employer has been fined more than once, and is particularly scrupulous in observing the minutest provisions of the Act himself, and impressing on the forty odd workers he has that they shall leave no loophole for a prosecution. A few weeks ago all hands dropped their needles and scissors as the clock tolled " one " on the Saturday afternoon. One girl had retired to an anteroom, and the boy was sweeping tbe workroom out when tbe girl came in. Informations were laid against tbe employer having the girl on his premises after tbe stipulated hours, against the girl for daring to be on the premises after the stipulated hours, and against the small boy for " obstructing an inspector in the execution of bis duty." The fines amounted to £7 4s, and the problem arises in one's mind if this labor legislation is beneficial to any one at all. It is a new way of raising revenue certainly and, judged from that standpqjaf, is perhaps a real good thing in the fip ination of a hard-up Treasurer, bugljL cannot be said to promote enterpriselMp