FACTORY ACTS. From motives of humanity, several statutes have been passed in recent years for regulating the hours of work, preserving the health, and promoting the education of young persons employed in mills and factories. The leading act is 7 and 8 Vict. c. 15; though much had already been done by the old statute 42 Geo. III. e. 73, and by 3 and 4 Will. IV. e. 103, commonly called the factory act, amended by 4 Will. IV. c. 1. By these ast-mentioned acts, night-work—that is, between half-past eight in the evening and half-past five in the morning—was, with some exceptions, forbidden in the case of persons under 18 years of age; whilst their hours of labor were limited to 12 in the day, including one and a half hours for meals. The employment of children under 9 was prohibited, except in silk-mills; and under 13 the hours were restricted to eight a day, or ten in silk-mills. Holidays were allowed, and certificates of health required from a surgeon or physician previous to the admission of a child into a factory, under certain penalties. By 3 and 4 Will. IV. c. 103, also, inspectors of factories were appointed, and their powers and duties for its enforcement defined. Amongst the duties of the inspector was that of seeing that every child within the restricted was placed at school; and in case of the parents or guardians of the child omitting to provide for his education, to order the employer to pay to him (the inspector) one penny in every shilling of the weekly wages of the child, to be applied to that purpose. By 7 and 8 Viet. c. 15, the powers and duties of inspectors were more accurately set forth. Regulations are laid down for the protection of children working in web spinning flax-mills, and it is enacted that the mill-gearing shall not be cleaned while in motion, and that the machinery shall be guarded. A child is defined to mean a person under 13; and a young person, one between the ages of 13 and 18. An abstract of the act and relative notices must be hung up in every factory. As to the time of children's -work, it is provided that they shall not be employed .more than six hours and 30 min utes in any one day, or seven in silk factories; but they may be employed ten hours in one day on three alternate days of the week, provided that they be not employed in any manner in the same, or any other factory, on two successive days, or after half-past four on a Saturday. On the vacant days, the children are to be sent to school for five hours, provided the day be not a Saturday, when no school attendance of any child shall be required. Women above the age of 18 are to be employed as young persons;
and work for all children and young persons is to cease on Saturday at half-past four. In addition to the regulations of the former act, it is provided regarding meal-times, that the hours allowed shall be between half-past seven in the morning, and half-past seven in the evening, and that one hour shall be before three o'clock. No child or young person shall be employed more than five hours before one o'clock without an interval for meal-time of at least 30 minutes. All young persons are to have their meal times at the same hour, and are not to be allowed to remain in any of the rooms used for manufacturing processes. Eight half-holidays are to be given in every factory, in addition to Good-Friday and Christmas-day, and the sacramental fast-day in Scotch parishes. By the subsequent act, 16 and 17 Vict. c. 102, it is required that no person under 13 shall be employed in a factory before six o'clock in the morning or after six in the evening; or on Saturday after two o'clock; but between Sept. 30 and April 1, children may for one month be employed on any day but-Saturday from seven in the morning till seven in the evening. By 8 and 9 Vict. c. 29, the powers of inspectors and the regulations in respect to the employment of women and children, are extended to calico-works; and rope-works are expressly exempted from them by 9 and 10 Vict. c. 40. By 10 Vict. c. 29, the hours of labor for young persons, and women above the age of 18, are reduced from 12, which the factory act had fixed, to 10, after 1st May, 1848; and by 13 and 14 Vict. c. 37, it is enacted that the same persons shall not be employed before six in the morning or after six in the evening, or after two o'clock on a Saturday. Meal-times must be between half-past seven in the morning and six in the evening. By 13 and 14 Vict. c. 37, children above 11 are to be viewed as young persons when employed in winding and throwing silk. 19 and 20 Vict. c. 38, limits the provisions of 7 and 8 Vict. c. 15, as to mill-gearing, to those parts with which children and young per sons and women are liable to come in contact. By subsequent legislation, the provisions of the acts have been modified and extended. See WORKSHOP REGULATION ACT.