H.-11.

Wellington. —(Factories Act) : George Oliver (tailor) was charged with failing to pay wages. Case adjourned to give Oliver opportunity to pay amount. (Shops and Offices Act) :Ah Joe, Mow Lee, Ah Poy, Wah Kee Bros., Kong. Some and Co.. Ah Ghee Wing, Lewis Hook and Co., and R. Brown and Son were each fined 10s., and costs totalling £9 11s., for failing to close their shops at 6 o'clock p.m. Cases against Joseph Zachariah and Kong Wah, decision reserved. You Lee was fined £2, costs 75., for failing to close on the statutory half-holiday. Re Shanaghan v. Tanner : The Supreme Court reversed a decision given by Dr. McArthur, B.M. (see Labour Journal, January, 1905, page 11), in which he dismissed this case for keeping his shop open after 6 p.m. (Full report on page 517, Labour Journal, July, 1905.) Nelson. —(Shops and Offices Act) : Tabuteau, Manager of the Bank of New South Wales, was fiiud Is. and costs for failing to produce extra time-book when requested by Inspector. (Full report on page 520, Labour Journal, July, 1905.) July, 1905. Kawakawa. —(Factories Act) : Lynn and Popelwell were charged with (1) failing to exhibit notice under the Act re working-hours and holidays ; (2) employing male worker more than eight and threequarter hours in one day ; (3) more than five hours without interval for meal; (4) more than forty-eight hours in a week. Penalties :£1 and 7s. costs on each of first three, and conviction without penalty on fourth charge. Auckland. —(Shops and Offices Act) : Albert Walford and L. Vickers were fined £1, with 14s. costs each, for failing to close shops on the weekly half-holiday in the separate district of Arch Hill. Wanganui. —(Factories Act) : In addition to the case reported (June) the Aramoho Meat-freezing Company were charged with failing to pay another youth under eighteen years of age for Good Friday and for Easter Monday. Penalties :£5 on each of the two charges, with £1 2s. 6d. costs. (For full report of the decision, see page 616, Labour Journal, August, 1905.) Wellington. —(Factories Act) : In reference to the case against George Oliver for failing to pay wages (see June) the amount of wages was duly paid, and under the circumstances, the Inspector asked that no penalty be inflicted. (Shops and Offices Act) : Joseph Zachariah, pawnbroker, was fined £1, with £3 10s. costs, for failing to close shop between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. of next working-day on four days of the week. Magistrate gave reserved decision that this shop came within the provisions of the Act. Case against Kong Wah, Chinese storekeeper, also for failing to close, as in above case, was dismissed, as Magistrate ruled that there was no proof of the shop being open for business. Blenheim. —(Factories Act) : Sylvester Holcroft was charged with (1) working lad under eighteen years of age on Saturday half-holiday—ordered to pay costs, £3 10s. ; and (2) for employing the lad at overtime work without permit (two charges) —withdrawn, amount of overtime paid up. Dunedin. —(Factories Act) : Thomas Smith, butcher, George Street and Main Road, was charged with failing to register his two shops under the Act. Penalty in first case, ss. and costs ; other case withdrawn, as registration had then been made. To pay all costs, £2 9s. A. D. Campbell, laundryman, was fined £1, with 7s. costs, for employing five females on Saturday afternoon. (Shops and Offices Act) : Vow On, Chinese storekeeper, and A. E. Brown, storekeeper, were charged with failing to close shops at 6 in the evening, under section 3 ; first case dismissed, owing to an omission on Inspector's part in conducting case ; in other case, fine. 2s. 6d., with 7s. costs. Invercargill. —(Shops and Offices Act) : In addition to former charges against Herbert Bentley (see May) there was a further charge for employing assistants for more than nine hours on more than one day in a week. Penalty 55., with 9s. costs. August, 1905. Wellington. —(Factories Act) : Hurcomb and Son, fish-curers, were charged with (1) occupying an unregistered factory ; (2) employing lad under sixteen without a certificate ; (3) employing another lad under sixteen also without a certificate. (This lad was under ten years of age.) Penalties : 10s. on each charge, with £1 6s. costs. (Shops and Offices Act) : Hurcomb and Son, fishmongers, were charged with failing to close their shop on the half-holiday. Defendants were fined 10s., with 7s. costs. (In this case defendants sold rabbits, which excludes them from the exemption allowed to fishmongers.) For failing to close on half-holiday, Joseph Kilfoy, storekeeper, was also fined £1, with 7s. costs. Masterton. —(Shops and Offices Act) : Men Gen (trading as Pei Gen), grocer, was fined Is., with £1 Bs. costs, for failing to close his shop between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. of the following day, according to gazetted requisition under section 21, which provides for the closing of shops on the requisition of a majority of the occupiers. The defence submitted that an alien is not an " occupier " under the Act, and is, therefore, not liable ; the Magistrate considered that the intention of the Act was to prevent aliens from having a voice in the fixing of the hours of closing of shops. He further decided that a partition which was erected to separate groceries from fruit was not sufficient division. Greymouth. —(Shops and Offices Act) : William Smith, fruiterer and fancy-goods dealer, was fined 10s., with 7s. costs, for failing to close his shop on the half-holiday. Christchurch. —(Shops and Offices Act) : George R. Fail, fishmonger, &c, was fined 10s., with £1 Bs. costs, for failing to close his shop on the half-holiday. (Defendant was not present, and an application by his solicitor for an adjournment was refused.)

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