Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1894. Employers Liabilities.

Manawatu Herald, 1 May 1894, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1894. Employers Liabilities.

Now that emploj'inent of labour is scarce it maybe as well to inquire whether the Acts pa^ed during the last three years; professedly in favour of the labourer, : ha^e ' tiot Jbeeti an hindrance to his securing employment. .- The labourer is bq!gs<i : around with ; Bu"ck J: safegtfvqs" as though he were a child iM employers are threatened -with-Till sorts of pains andYenaities if they dare to risk making him any advance. The trio of Acts are " The Truck Act 1891 " " The Contractors* and Workmen's Lien Act 1892 " and " The Workmen's Wages Act 1893." The provisions of The Truck Act is nob in force in many cases and especially exempts seamen, and persons employed in agricultural or pastoral pursuits. Unfortunately the interpretation clauses of the Act do not define what are 1 agriculturaT and pastoral pursuifcs and therefore a pitfall is prepared for the unfortunate laßd-owner,,, Clause 7 that; anemployer cannot maintain any action for goods a?ld to any workmen as on account -of wages, nor .may he be entitled to-Any se^off aa>,any claim for wages in respect of any goods supplied ,to the plaintiff by any person under any order or direction, of the plaintiff. So far then it is directed, that w.ages must be paid" in cash, but the Act is not to apply to certain cases. In- the ' cases exempted it is made clear that whatever advance in ' the ways of tools, supplies, medicine, &c, has' to be made by the employer or his agent, and that the restriction is still in force that the employer cannot secure the payment of any debt contracted by the labourer to any other person. This places the storekeeper in a very awkward position* and if an advance in goods or tools are required, the advance must be made wholly on the good faith of the applicant, instead of being further secured by an order on the employer. This may not be awkward for men who ars known, but must be extremely, so to new comers into a district. If the employer does not oare to take the risk of doing anything to assist the labourer to make a si.irt,- it looks as though that laboiu-er will discover this Act to be a peculiarly absurd incumbranoe to his getting a living. _ If an employer is /clearing land the question gets more puzzling as the exemptions .about land are felling bush, or to those engaged in agricultural or pastorals pursuits. More grows upon the land than bush, the clearing of which cannot' be termed agriculture, and land requires drains to be dug, fences to be trimmed, which it is doubtful if properly classed under the last heading. The Act- is clear that no advance can be made. to these men any further thau. victuals which however must be. " dressed or prepared under the ropl of euch employer." . labourers must see how the' attempt to save them ' from a few scheming persons has had the effeot of closing the openings for assistance previously in force. Take /the instance of the man ontthr* 1 wallaby ;". he 9allj& at the firs t= b tataottrfot.^i-k',.>i».- : offered ! some, when he men tipns his want of tools, his need for a tent, his want of." tracker,'' F&pv, &<y ; the -usual and natural wante of alman who has bflen out of employ ...for some; time and who has travelled far. What can the landowner do? if he takes the old feeling view of the case and gives an order ttf the- storekeeper, or hands out the tools, from the station supply, is there any. chance of securing his property . back ? A dishonest man has merely to hold the. tools^'Work a week* ;demand' his wages/in money; in full' and then leave, better off in every way 'thao when he arrived. -The land-owner has sold the man the tools, illegally, he cannotjdeduot the coM.. from .the. wagek^a^thaii;. asrilfegaV.^andf ;if ; fit -does so liable., io •a penalty of sfto&f-irie first* offence and increasing-, ajnoupts for further offences. He cannot get them from the man because he has sold them, and the tools would not be likely worth the amount of theiine incurred for the breach ot the Act.' 1 : We come back again to the important question as to what is meant by the terms used in the Act as agrictural or pastoral pursuits? All who are clear upon the meaning can shape their course safely through , the in-, tricaci^s of tb/e_ Act, but ,to those, who are not so sure it would seem ; wisest to accept the instructions of the Act and do no deed which has the least appearance of advancing the applicant for employment any goods. Tftiß/ is itiuch to be regrtted but then the land-owners cannot be said to have" framed the Act, which bears upon the face of it the strongest suspicion of their good faith towards their employees. "We Relieve much inconvenience will be felt this winter by the unemployed owing to this Act, but the harshness .experienced must bp laid ,ajj .doors-hf^ those answerable for it. "The ofiner Acts referred to will also bear well looking into.

Tiie enter tftiflffleut given ait the Hall last night by Mr J. W. F. Halcombe was exceedingly good, though the audience was small. It is surprising a greater eagerness to see and hear the wonder of the age was not shown. To have the repetition of tunes played by bands eight to ten thousand miles away and voices by those who sang . at the same distance, placed at the service of. those who attended the phonograph entertainment is something which provides food for serious thought. Two or three hundred years ago the life of the inventor of such an instrument would not have been worth much. Mr Halcoinbe explained the working of the machine and succeeded in keeping up the interest of his hearers. One bra'vß mad sang into the receiver for reproduction, but we should imagine he was not wholly pleased with the result as , he left the hall shortly after the repetition. f The machine hardly recorded the song in the manner it was sung and owing to the want' of vigor on the- part of the singer, only the loudest notes now and then were issued by the phonograph . . " ;£ The case of G. N. Wood.v. the Wirqkino Eoad Board was Concluded on Saturday before the Chief Justice and the special jury. The jury visited plaintiff's property and the defendants' works at Shannon on Friday. After His Houor summed up, the jury retired at 3 20 p.m „aud returned at 6.45 p.m. with a verdict for the plaintiff for £25. The question of costs is to lie dealt with in Chambers, and is said to. involve some £60CL, .^. '■-. . . ff DrDermer now makes a practice to visit our sister township, of Levin every Tuesday' afternoon. This should,\p.rave a great convenience to' the settlers in the district. •' The Donald Dihnie Company appear at the hall, Foxton, to-morrow night. Early this morning much firing along the banks of the river was heard, reminding non sports that the shooting season had commenced at last. Owing to much ille- j gal shooting during the past month heavy bags are' not expected. The Governor's movements are watched with much anxiety by a candidate for the office of J.F., who is under the impression that lie would not be so honored unless the Governor signed his commission ! /'._', Something was wrong with the lamps on the stage of the Foxton hall last night. The caretaker solemnly advanced just prior to the entertainment being started and gave them a "turn of the screw," which had • but a very slight effect in improving matters. Mr Halcombe had only been on the stage five minutes when some one in the audience requested him to try and throw a little light on the subject. He endeavoured, advanced to those lamps and gave many turns of the screw which for a moment caused an increased light, which, however faded away, directly he gave up raising the wick. Messrs Hennessy, Westwood & Co. are now stock-taking prior to a dissolution of partnership, Messrs Walsh & Howan imported to-daJ by the Queen of the South a new and substantial spring cart for their butchering business. The case of Hayes v. The Australasian has been concluded, the jury being unable to agree to a verdict. Thomas W, Twist, charged with forging a cheque, was committed for trial on Friday at Palmerston. The aocused. .was released on" bafl. ; Mr Herbert Edmunds shot himself on Friday. fThis gentleman was a schoolmaster in' the Wairarapa, and a month previously had married a Miss Hare, whom it will, be remembered refused him at the altar on the first marriage ceremony, bin accepted him - the following day. Mrs Edmunds left her husband for her father's home on the., wedding day and had only returned to him a "week previous to his death. ■ The next time the Farmer indulges in a practical joke we trust it will duly label it. We are accused of requiring an operation in -not fathoming the "report" of the Foxton race meeting appearing in the Fanner with a head-line of " By our special reporter "as being a " mild joko." What -we should not have desired to have said, but for which we are blamed for not having • known, appears to; be that, it is a " mild -joke " to, have imagined that the Farmer should.have'had a special reporter. As the Farmer owns up to it, so let it be. • Mr Justice Bichmond on Friday, in the course of hearing an appeal arising out of a betting prosecution, said it was matter for Qjuptise .that wjiile the Legislature took steps to disoourage systematic betting it should not at the same time have decreed that disputes connected with racing could not be made the subject of litigation in the . Law Courts. Cups and plates equally with bets ought not to be recoverable by law. " Spectator" in the Referee thus refers to Mr $.; G. Andrew*' horses :— Jost now the "apple of his eye" is the bay two-year-old son of Furiri and hia old favourite Germaine. In his box, seen in candlelight, this colt looked a shapely and sturdy little fellow. Out of it, when mounted and walking next morning, he appeared to have plenty of liberty, and when I rode to .the railway station alongside of him and saw him canter, I liked the way he 'shot his forelegs out -and gathered his hind ones after him* He takes very muoh after Germaine, who was as game a bit of stuff as I ever saw saddled. 'Mr Andrews has a chestnut yearling' gelding by Flintlock from the same mare, that promises to make a useful one. •■;. < , - >:■.■■ • The vestry . of Battersea has under oon_the question of providing muni-cipal-workshops 'to enable it to carry" out the whole work of "the parish without employing^oontractors) ; During 1 last season 800,480 !rry and eyed' ova were distributed by- the Wellington Acclimatisation Society from the Masterton fish hatcheries. Messrs Abraham & Williams hold sales -at Palmerston on Thursday and Levin on Friday. , '[ „ „: < ,-. ■/'/ ,• ■.- y, I Mr G.,L. iHarper ;. the teacher of- iifeCarnarvon School, has determined to resign his charge (says the Advocate), and has sentanjbJihxee- months' notioeto that etfecj to both the Board and the Committee. Mr Harper comtem plated taking this step some time baok*. but finally decided to do so owing, in part, to the increased demand on his voice in the school, which he felt would not stand the strain. /Mr Harper is^one gf the o®SUl.Pfl. t i& e o%Stj" feach^rj Ujpd.gr the; Wangauui Education Board, having been in charge of the Carnarvon School for nearly iff yearsi 'In severing his oonh'ection with the school and the Board the district is losing one of the most painstaking'and conscientious teachers. One who has, for this long time, been constantly at his,poit.rand has net f»i)ed to make many friends who deeply regret his resignation. , It.was, proposed to the great Cook the. other <fay, to "personally conduct " a party of cycling tourists from the shores of the BlacK Sea to the Great Wall of China. The reply *rjas, ltt'Was told, " We to; say that our arrangements for Junatic travellers are not fet quite perfect." Fun says,—'' There -ar^^ery few people who nwear •• by Jabez 1" just now."

Mr. James fayn has been telling a good story of a Quaker, who baring been bullied by cousel, called the next day upon his tormentor with swords and pistols for satisfaction. The quaker desired to remind him that he was mistaken in thinking that Q uakers were cowards and offered to fight him anyhow he pleased with weapons or fists ; but the lawyer declined. " Then," said the Quaker, " thou must apologise to me before my friends in the next room." The gentleman who was so brave and brutal under the protection of a court of law made an abject apology. I never think of a fighting Quaker but Mrs Beecher Slowe's hero occurs to me with his " friend thou art not wanted here," as he ptlshed Legree over the cliff. We do not often hear of such an exciting chase as took place at North London, when Henry Littlehales, a sharp-looking lad, was charged with embezzling £1. Det.constable Lee, of the J Division, said on Tuesday morning he saw the prisoner on the Eingßttrd Bridge at Hackney Wick. Whin the prisoner saw him (witness) he ran : away. After a chase of about half a mile the prisoner jumped into the Biter Lea and swam across, and got out on the other side. He (witness) followed through the stream, when the prisoner plunged into another canal close by, also followed by him (witness). The prisoner got out of this, and again ran ; but was caught and taken back the same way as he went. Mr Dickinson : Through the water ?— The constable V Yes. The result was three months' hard labour. "The microphone makes the sounds of a fly's" footsteps perfectly audible, The apparatus, consists of a box with a strong sheet of paper stretched over it in place of the; customary lid. Two carbons separated by a thitt strip of wood and con. neoted by two wires charged with electricity are fastened, to it and connected with^ a carbon pencil, which communicates with tlie paper tympanum. When everything is in readiness and the ear ia held to the sounding trumpet a fly allowed to cross the paper makes a sound which to the listener is equal to the noise made by a horse crossing a bridge. An electrical parcels van is now to be seen . gliding along the London Btreets, steering in an out of the thickest traffic in the easiest manner. It is claimed that the cost of working a two-horse van by electricity does not exceed 2d per mile. A speed of 30 miles an hour can be attained, and if the estimates of the owners are ■realised, it -is hoped a revolution will be effected in London street vehicles.