THIS DAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 66, 19 February 1885, Page 3

THIS DAY.

(Before R. Ward.' Esq., R.M.) DRUNK. ' ' Win. Henderson Mitchell, charged with being drunk on Saturday last m the. Square, was fined 5s or m default" ' 24 hours m Wanganui gaol. ■ BBEACH OF EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALES t'-'' ; - :ACt. ; { Alexander McMinn was charged with having 'employed- Frank Kroupa, Walter Dixon, Thomas Thompson, Alexander Barclay, Vincent Kroupa, young persons within the meaning of " The Employment Act, 1881 " after % o'clock on Sat-: Tirday-tjic-^th^eb'. > J. /. /_••' Mr Hankins for accused admitted the feet '"of having employed- the ggjsons named m the' inforu&atiou-f but pleaded not guilty to a breach of the Act, inasmuch as; ha, contended' that it did lhot apply to a 'printing office. Mr Hankins claimed that. the whole of the act should be considered and not any particular part of i<v and pointed and that the woi'ds factory*- manufactory, workshops, • &c, used throughout ; the act- must be construed as -referring to some building connected with a factory, and argued to show that it was not intended to include a printing office. ■ ~ I . The Magistrate said that m ,regard , to the case he accepted the defence as one made m, good faith, and thought that Mr McMinn had no desire to contravene the > act. The defence was a bonafide one. He .(the. Magistrate), took. it. that; the J word factory and the declaration '\i\ the Act as to what may be done'at v a factory was also connected with what was .called employment.: . The word eniptoy^he^was inclined to think was applied to persons employed at a printing : 'office- where •manual, labor was. necessary. .The Act he' thought included the work of a.newspaperywhich* was' an article manufactured, foi'gain. : Hinder tile Aet,the eniploj'inent of bpys; .at a. neivspaper oiUce who : did manual labor incidental tora newspaper within. the ( hburs' proscribed" by the ' Act" was an offence under the Act. * Tlie case was of great importance to the . Press of * the Colony. . :• . ' . , t ■■. Ti >- * Finbd one shilling without costs.' Mr Hankins said probably some more wealthy newspaper .would be proceeded against under the. same. Act, when the case might be taken to a higher court foi' its decision. . . •• ... .: [Left Sitting.] .-.■.:■