TWO LABOR BILLS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2668, 25 November 1909, Page 3

TWO LABOR BILLS.

IMPORTANT PROVISIONS

(Special to “Times.”) WELLINGTON, Nov. 24

. Two of the Labor Bills foreshadowed by the Hon. J. .A. Millar have been circulated —viz., the Shops and Offices Act Amendment Bill and the Factories Act Amendment Bill. HOTEL AND RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES.

■Hotels and restaurants are included in the definition of ‘■‘shops” and “shop restaurants” contained in section 2 pi the Act. 1008. No male hotel assistant over 16 years of age may be employed for more than GO hours, including meal time, in any week. In other cases the hours of employment are not to exceed 50 a week. The day’s work is limited to 10 hours, including meal times, and must not continue for more than five hours continuously without balf-an-liour’s interval ■ for a meal. A weekly half-holiday on vie working day from 2 p.m. is compulsory. Night porters and night watchmen are to have 24 horns off every fourteen days, provided, however, that the occupier of the hotel or restaurant may, instead of giving such holidays as are mentioned above, arrange to give employees seven days’ leave (including Sundays) every three months. Wages and overtime books are to be kept in shops, showing all particulars of employment. Provision is made for meeting eases in connection with the constitution of new districts.

LAUNDRY WORKERS

The Factories Act Amendment Bill is evidently aimed at Chinese laundries. A wage and overtime l>ook is to be kept in English in every laundry, in the same way as under the Shops and Offices Bill. Males over 16 are not to work over 48 hours a week, nor more than 8;] hours on any one day, including meal time. An employee may not work more than five hours continuously without at feast threequarters of an hour for a meal. A boy or a woman is limited to 45 hours’ work a week. An extension of working hours may be made in certain cases, otherwise no person may work in a laundry between 7 p.m. and 7.-15 a.m., and no work may be done in any laundry during that interval without a permit from an inspector. Overtime is fixed at time and a-quarter, or, in the case of persons working on' time, overtime will range from Gel to 9d an hour above the usual rate. There are various other amendments of the principal Act relating to medical inspection, etc.