By the amended act the word " child" means a child under the age of thirteen ; and the term "young person" means a person of the age of thirteen and under the age of eighteen.
No child under the age of eight mu be employed in any factory. Under the act 3 & 4 Wm. IV. nine years was the age of admission, but, with a reduction of the hours of working, an earlier age has been substituted. A child who has com pleted his eighth year must obtain a medical certificate, as required by 3 & 4 Wm. IV., before he can be employed ; and a similar certificate is also required from young persons between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. These certificates can only be granted by a certifying sur geon duly appointed by the Inspectors of Factories, and they are only valid at the factory for which they were granted. The certifying surgeons visit factories weekly, and are responsible to the in spector of the district, who, as well as the sub-inspector, has the power of annulling certificates which have been improperly granted. Under the act 3 & 4 Wm. IV. the occupiers of factories appointed the certifying surgeons, who were gene rally the medical attendant; of their own families.
Persons under eighteen are not allowed to work between the hours of half-past eight in the evening and half-past five in the morning; nor more than twelve hours in one day ; nor more than sixty-nine hours in any one week (3 & 4 Wm. IV. c. 103, § § 1, 2). Females above the age of eighteen can only be employed for the same time and in the same manner as "young persons ;" an arrangement intro duced for the first time by the amending act. No " child" is to be employed more than six hours and a half in any one day, unless when the dinner-time of the " young persons" begins at one o'clock in the afternoon, in which case children who begin to work in the morning may work for seven hours in one day. Children must not be employed after one o'clock in the afternoon, except when they work on alternate days; but in silk-factories, children, if above eleven, may be em ployed solely in the winding and turning of raw silk for any time not exceeding ten hours on any working day, but not after half-past four P.M. on any Saturday,
and such children are not required to produce a certificate of school attendance. Under the former factory act children of any age might be employed in silk-mills. Again, as to silk-mills, children between eight and eleven can only be employed half a day, and are required to attend school.
When the labour of " young persons" is restricted to ten hours a-day, any " may be employed ten hours on alternate days; but the occupier of the factory must give notice to the inspector of this arrange ment with regard to the children. No child or young person is to be employed for any purpose in any factory after half past four on Saturdays. The time for meals is regulated both by the act of 3 & 4 Wm. IV. and that of 7 Viet At least one hour and a half must be allowed for meals to every young person between half-past seven in the morning and half-past seven in the evening. One hour is to be given before three o'clock in the afternoon. No child or young person is to be employed before one o'clock in the afternoon with out an interval of thirty minutes for meal time. During meal times no child or young person is to be in any room wherein any manufacturing process is then carried. on. AU young persons are to have time for meals at the same period of the day, unless for special cause to be allowed in writing by an in. spector.
Holidays are fixed by both acts, which in England or Ireland are Christmas-day and Good Friday ; and in Scotland the days set apart as fast-days. All children and young persons are besides to have eight half-holidays yearly, and at least four must be allowed between the 15th of March and 1st of October. No cessa tion from work is deemed a half-holiday unless notice thereof has been fixed up the previous day in the factory.
In making up time lost by accident, provisions are carefully introduced to prevent any unnecessary infringement on the ordinary working hours. Notice must be sent by post to the sub-inspector of factories, stating the intention to re cover lost time, and a notice to the same effect must be previously fixed up at the entrance of the factory.