FACTORY BILL.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19880, 8 May 1936, Page 7

FACTORY BILL.

IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS. LIMITATION OF HOURS. WELLINGTON, Thursday. Some important amendments which have been made to the Factories Amendment Bill by the Labour Bills Committee of the House of Representatives were reported back to the House to-night. The limitation of hours provided for in the original bill was to have become effective as from June i, but in view of the delay in the passage of the measure, the period has been extended by a month to July 1. One amendment extends the definition of the term factory in the principal Act to a place wherein one or more persons are employed. As the law exists at present a factory is a place where two or more persons are engaged, and it is stated that the object of the new clause is to enable the authorities to deal with backyard factories and laundries. The clause in the original Bill which excludes time in preparing for the work of a factory from the computation of hours during which a male employee may be worked has been si ruck on l and replaced by a new clause. This provides for one addition hour a day to be allowed to any ting up steam, or in making preparations for Hie work of the factory, provide.l that payment is made for such time at ordinary rales. The clause dealing with minimum wages in factories has been amended lo provide tlial the wages shall not be. less than 15s a week during the first six months of employment, with increments of is for every additional six months of employment until the expiration of three years, and thereafter not less than £2 a week. Under the original bill a worker commencing at 13s a week could be employed for four years before reaching a wage of i‘2 a week. Another amendment provides that every occupier of a factory shall have Hie right to appeal to the Arbitration Court, whether bound by an award or not, to extend the working hours, provided that the Court shall not fix any extended hours in excess of 44 hours a week. Provision is also to he made that existing awards and industrial agreements shall he read subject to the bill when it becomes law. Under present legislation existing awards and industrial agreements cannot be altered by subsequent legislation.