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A SUMMARY OF THE ANSWERS RECEIVED FROM HER MAJESTY'S CONSULS up to the 20th of November, 1841.

MINES AND COLLIERIES ACT.

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passing of this act, be absolutely void; and from and after the first day of March one thousand eight hundred and forty-three it shall not be lawful for any owner of any mine or colliery to employ any female person whatsoever within any mine or colliery, or to allow or permit any female person to work or be therein as aforesaid; and every indenture of apprenticeship, or other contract or engagement, whereby any female person whatsoever shall be bound to work or be liable to be called on to work within any mine or colliery (other than such as are before declared to be void at the end of three calendar months as aforesaid) shall, from and after the said first day of March one thousand eight hundred and forty-three, be absolutely void.

AN ACT TO PROHIBIT THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN MINES AND Collieries, to regulate the Employment of Boys, AND TO MAKE OTHER PROVISIONS RELATING TO PERSONS WORKING THEREIN.—5 & 6 Vic. Cap. 99.-[10TH August 1842.] Whereas it is unfit that women and girls should be employed in any mine or colliery, and it is expedient to make regulations regarding the employment of boys in mines and collieries, and to make provisions for the safety of persons working therein be it therefore enacted by the Queen's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That from and after the passing of this act it shall not be lawful for any owner of any mine or colliery whatsoever to employ any female person within any mine or colliery, or permit any female person to work or be therein, for the purpose of working therein, other than such as were at or before the passing of this act employed within such mine and colliery; and that from and after three calendar months from the passing of this act it shall not be lawful for any owner of any mine or colliery to employ any female person who at the passing of this act shall be under the age of eighteen years within any mine or colliery, or permit such person to work or be therein as aforesaid; and any indentures of apprenticeship whereby any female person who at the passing of this act was under the age of eighteen years shall be bound to work or be liable to be called on to work in any mine or colliery shall, at the expiration of three calendar months from the

II. And be it enacted, That from and after the first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and forty-three, it shall not be lawful for any owner of any mine or any colliery to employ any male person under the age of ten years within any mine or colliery, or to permit any such male person to work, or be therein for the purpose of working therein, other than such as at the passing of this act shall have attained the age of nine years, and were at or before and passing of this act employed within such mine or colliery.

III. And be it enacted, That it shall be lawful for one of her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, if and when he shall think fit, to appoint any proper person

or persons to visit and inspect any mine or colliery; and it shall be lawful for every person so authorized to enter and examine such mine or colliery, and the works, buildings, and machinery belonging thereto, at all times and seasons, by day or by night, and to make inquiry touching any matter within the provisions of this act; and the owner or occupiers of such mines or collieries, or their agents, are hereby required to furnish the means necessary for such person or persons so appointed to visit and inspect such mines and collieries, works, buildings, and machinery; and every person to be so appointed shall report his proceedings in the execution of this act in such manner as may be directed by the Secretary of State; and he shall in like manner report the state and condition of the persons working in such mine or colliery, and whether or not the provisions of this act are properly observed in the mine or colliery which he shall so inspect.

IV. And be it enacted, That from and after the passing of this act no person or persons shall take any apprentice who shall be bound to work, or be liable to be called on to work, or be otherwise occupied, within a mine or colliery, who shall be under the age of ten years, or for a longer term of apprenticeship than eight years, except as the apprentice of a mason, joiner, engine wright, or other mechanic whose services may be required occasionally below as well as above ground; and every indenture of apprenticeship whereby any person shall be hereafter bound contrary to the provisions of this act shall be void; and when any person who is now serving under articles of apprenticeship within any mine or colfiery shall attain the age of eighteen

years, he shall be discharged from such apprenticeship, and the articles of apprenticeship shall become absolutely null and void.

V. And be it enacted, That every person or persons, body or company, offending against any of the aforesaid provisions, shall forfeit a sum not more than ten pounds nor less than five pounds, for every person employed or suffered to be in a mine or colliery contrary to the aforesaid provisions, to be sued for and recovered as after mentioned.

VI. Provided always, and be it enacted, That if it shall appear on inquiry before any justices under the provisions of this act that any person under the age herein before specified has been employed in any colliery on the representation of the parent or natural guardian of such person that he was above the age so hereinbefore specified, and if it shall appear to such justices that such person was so empoyed under the bona fide impression and belief on the part of the employer that he was not under the age so specified, it shall be lawful for such justices, if they see fit, to remit the said penalty as against the party employing such person, and to summon the parent or natural guardian of the person employed to appear be fore them on a day to be named for the purpose, and on conviction of such parent or guardian of having wilfully misrepresented the age of the person employed, such parent or guardian shall forfeit a sum not exceeding forty shillings.

VII. And be it enacted, That nothing herein before contained shall prevent any person whatever from being employed in or about any mine or colliery, so as such employment shall be carried on above ground.

VIII. And be it enacted, That where there shall be any entrance to a mine or colliery by means of a vertical shaft or pit or inclined plane, or where there shall be any communication within any part of a mine or colliery to any other part thereof by a vertical shaft or pit or inclined plane, then it shall not be lawful for any owner of any such mine or colliery to allow any person or persons other than a male of the age of fifteen years and upwards to have charge of any steam engine or other engine, windlass, or gin (whether driven or worked by manual labour or any other power whatsoever), or to have charge of any part of the machinery, ropes, chains, or other tackle of any such engine, by or by means of which engine, machinery, ropes, chains, or other tackle, persons are brought up or passed down any such vertical shaft or pit or inclined plane; and any person or persons offending against the provision last aforesaid shall for every such offence forfeit a sum not exceeding fifty pounds nor less than twenty pounds, to be recovered as after provided.

IX. Provided always, and be it enacted, That in the case of a windlass or gin worked by a horse or other animal, the person on the bank under whose direction the driver of the animal used for such windlass or gin shall act shall for the purposes of this act be deemed and taken to be the person having the charge thereof.

X. And whereas the practice of paying wages to workmen at public houses is found to be highly injurious to the best interests of the working classes; be it therefore enacted, That from and after the expiration of three months from the passing of this act no

proprietor or worker of any mine or colliery, or other person, shall pay or cause to be paid any wages or money in respect of wages for work or labour or services done in or about any mine or colliery to any person employed in or about such mine or colliery, or to any person whatever entitled to or having authority or claiming to have authority to receive such wages, at or within any tavern, public house, beer shop, or other house of entertainment, or any office, garden, or place belonging thereto or occupied therewith, but all payments in respect of such wages are hereby strictly prohibited and forbidden to be made at or within such places as aforesaid, and all payments so made are hereby declared to be of no effect what

ever.

XI. And be it enacted, That notwithstanding any payment of wages or money in respect of wages which shall or may be made at any such prohibited place, the person or persons to whom such wages were due or payable, or but for such payment would be due or payable, shall and may recover and receive the same in like manner as if no such payments had been made.

XII. And be it enacted, That in case any owner of any mine or colliery, or any person liable or intrusted or employed to pay any wages or money in respect of wages for such work, labour, or services as aforesaid, shall, contrary to the provision lastly hereinbefore contained, pay or cause to be paid any such wages or money to any person whatever, at any such prohibited place as aforesaid, the person or persons so offending shall for every such offence forfeit a sum not exceeding ten pounds nor less than

five pounds to be recovered as after the machinery by which the act is provided. to be carried into effect.

Clauses XIII to XXIII detail

COPYRIGHT ACT.

EXTRACTS FROM AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW OF COPYRIGHT.5 & 6 VIC. CAP. 45.-[1ST JULY 1842.]

III. And be it enacted, That the copyright in every book which shall after the passing of this act be published in the lifetime of its author, shall endure for the natural life of such author, and for the further term of seven years, commencing at the time of his death, and shall be the property of such author and his assigns: provided always, that if the said term of seven years shall expire before the end of forty-two years from the first publication of such book, the copyright shall in that case endure for such period of fortytwo years; and that the copyright in every book which shall be published after the death of its author shall endure for the term of fortytwo years from the first publication thereof, and shall be the property of the proprietor of the author's manuscript from which such book shall be first published, and his assigns.

IV. And whereas it is just to extend the benefits of this act to authors of books published before the passing thereof, and in which copyright still subsists; be it enacted, That the copyright which at the time of passing this act shall subsist in any book theretofore published (except as hereineafter mentioned) shall be extended and endure for the full term provided by this act in cases of books thereafter published, and shall be the property of the person who at the Lime of passing of this act shall

be the proprietor of such copyright: provided always, that in all cases in which such copyright shall belong in whole or in part to a publisher or other person who shall have acquired it for other consideration than that of natural love and affection, such copyright shall not be extended by this act, but shall endure for the term which shall subsist therein at the time of passing of this act, and no longer, unless the author of such book, if he shall be living, or the personal representative of such author, if he shall be dead, and the proprietor of such copyright, shall, before the expiration of such term consent and agree to accept the benefits of this act in respect of such book, and shall cause a minute of such consent in the form in that behalf given in the schedule to this act annexed to be entered in the book of registry hereinafter directed to be kept, in which case such copyright shall endure for the full term by this act provided in cases of books to be published after the passing of this act, and shall be the property of such person or persons as in such minute shall be expressed.

V. And whereas it is expedient to provide against the suppression of books of importance to the public; be it enacted, That it shall be lawful for the Judicial Committee of her Majesty's Privy Council, on complaint made to them, that the proprietor of the copyright in

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