§ Bill considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§ Clause 3 (Workmen to be entitled to advance of portion of wages).
§ MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)I wish to appeal to the hon. Gentleman the Member for the Hallam Division of Sheffield (Mr. Stuart-Wortley) to withdraw his Amendment, in order that the Committee may be able to postpone the clause, and to go on with the undisputed clause.
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. STUART-WORTLEY) (Sheffield, Hallam)If the Committee will allow me, I desire to withdraw the Amendment which I have moved on the clause.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Clause 4 omitted.
§ Clause 5 (Order for goods as a deduction from wages illegal).
§
On the Motion of Mr. STUART-WORTLEY, the following Amendments made:—In page 2, line 1, leave out to "in any," in line 8; in line 9, leave out from "workman" to last "the," and insert "for the recovery of his wages;" in line 10, leave out from "entitled to any goods," in line 11, and insert "any set-off or counter claim in respect
678
of;" in line 12, leave out "such," and after "direction," insert "of the employer or any agent of the employer; "in line 13, leave out from "otherwise" to end of Clause, and insert—
And the employer of a workman, or any agent of the employer, or any person supplying goods to the workman under any order or direction of such employer or agent, shall not be entitled to sue the workman for or in respect of any goods supplied under such order or direction.
Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to anything excepted by section twenty-three of the principal Act.
§ MR. CONYBEARE (Cornwall, Camborne)I do not know if we are to have a reprint of the Bill; in its amended form it is quite impossible to follow these alterations.
§ MR. STUART-WORTLEYI can supply the hon. Member with a reprint to-morrow.
§ MR. BRADLAUGHI have considerd the wording very carefully.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER) (Isle of Wight)The Amendments are to avoid the necessity of striking out the clause altogether. Perhaps the hon. Member will follow my reading of the clause as it will stand in its amended form.
§ [Clause read.]
§ Clause, as amended, agreed to.
§ Clause 6 (Wages to be paid in pay office).
§ On the Motion of Mr. STUART-WORTLEY, Clause struck out of the Bill.
§ Clause 7 (No contracts with workmen as to spending wages at any particular shop, &c.)
§
On the Motion of Mr. STUART-WORTLEY, the following Amendments made:—In page 2, line 20, leave out from "shall" to "a condition," in line 24, and insert ''directly or indirectly, by himself or his agent, impose as;" line 25, leave out "such artificer or;" line 25, leave out "or shall," and insert—
Any terms as to the place at which, or the manner in which, or the person with whom, any wages or portion of wages paid to the workman are or is to be expended, and no employer shall by himself or his agent;
line 26, leave out "artificer or;" line 27, leave out from "of" to end of line, and add—
679
The place at which, or the manner in which, or the person with whom, any wages or portion of wages paid by the employer to such workman, are or is expended, or fail to be expended, and in any action by a workman for wrongful dismissal, the violation of any terms prohibited by this section, or the failure of a workman to spend his wages, or any portion thereof, at any place or in any manner or with any person shall not be a justification for his dismissal.
§ MR. CONYBEAREI do not wish to oppose the clause, or impose any obstacle to the passage of the measure generally; but there is a question I should like to bring before the notice of the Committee, though, perhaps, it will be considered at a later stage of the Bill, for I understand the hon. Member for Wednesbury (Mr. P. Stanhope) has to-night placed an Amendment on the Paper. It is a point that seems to be cognate to matters in this clause, and that is the action of employers who have been known to make deductions from workmen's wages to pay the entrance fee and subscriptions to political clubs.
§ MR. BRADLAUGHMy hon. Friend will allow mo to explain; that point will be raised by a new clause later. Notice of the clause has been given by the hon. Member for Wednesbury. We are purposely avoiding all contentious clauses to-night.
§ MR. CONYBEAREI am entirely satisfied.
§ Clause, as amended, agreed to.
§ Clause 8 (Jurisdiction and recovery of penalties).
§ On the Motion of Mr. STUART-WORTLEY, Clause struck out of the Bill.
§ Clause 9 (Penalties and expenses in Scotland).
§ On the Motion of Mr. STUART-WORTLEY, Clause struck out of the Bill.
§ Clause 10 (Artificer to be paid in cash, and not by way of barter, for articles made by him).
§
On the Motion of Mr. STUART-WORTLEY, the following Amendments made:—In page 3, line 7, leave out to "under," and insert—
Where articles are made by a person at his own homo, or otherwise, without the employment of any person under him except a member of his own family, the principal Act and this Act shall apply as if he were a workman, and the shopkeeper, dealer, trader, or other person buying the articles in the way of trade were his employer, and the provisions of this Act, with re-
680
spect to the payment of wages, shall apply as if the price of an article were wages earned during the seven days next preceding the date at which any article is received from the workman by the employer.
This section shall apply only to articles.
In page 3, line 12, leave out from "materials" to end of Clause, and insert—
Where it is made to appear to Her Majesty the Queen in Council that, in the interests of persons making articles to which this section applies in any county or place in the United Kingdom, it is expedient so to do, it shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by Order in Council, to suspend the operation of this section in such county or place, and the same shall accordingly be suspended, either wholly or in part, and either with or without any limitations or exceptions, according as is provided by the Order.
§ Clause, as amended, agreed to.
§ On the Motion of Mr. STUART-WORTLEY, Clauses 11, 12. and 13 severally struck out of the Bill.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Chairman do report Progress, and ask leave to sitagain."—(Mr. Stuart-Wortley.)
§ SIR RICHARD PAGET (Somerset, Wells)I should like to have an assurance that the Bill will be reprinted. Is it proposed to re-commit the Bill?
§ MR. STUART-WORTLEYThis Committee stage is not yet finished. There are several new clauses to move, and it is, I think, unusual to reprint a Bill until Committee is finished.
§ MR. BRADLAUGHThere will be nothing gained by reprinting the Bill now; these clauses do not contain contested matter.
§ MR. F. S. POWELL (Wigan)I think it will be convenient for the Committee to have it reprinted before proceeding further. I say this with no hostility to the Bill whatever.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER)We have had a few copies reprinted, and I dare say there will be copies to spare for those hon. Members who desire to have them.
§ MR. TOMLINSON (Preston)The Committee, of course, understand that Clause 3 stands over: it is postponed simply.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Committee report Progress; to sit again To-morrow.