935
(c) by the addition of the following sub-section at
the end thereof :-
聯
(3) It shall be lawful for the Protector or any inspector, if he has reasonable cause to suspect that an offence against this Ordi- nance has been committed, to remove and to detain in a suitable place for inquiries any young person or child found in any place in, about, or in respect of which such offence (if any) would appear to have been committed.
young person or
7. Section 5 of the principal Ordinance is amended by the insertion of the words immediately before the word "child" in each of the five places in which that word occurs in the said section.
Amendment
of Ordinance No. 22 of
1922, s. 5.
Objects and Reasons.
1. This Ordinance is intended to be a further step in the improvement of factory conditions in the Colony. Such improvement must be slow and gradual, and it is very difficult in such matters to travel far ahead of neighbouring countries.
2. The main object of this Ordinance is to include women and young persons within the scope of the prin- cipal Ordinance, No. 22 of 1922. A young person is defined as any person of or over the age of fifteen years and under the age of eighteen years.
3. Paragraph (c) of section 6 of this Ordinance adds to the principal Ordinance a new sub-section 4 (3) which gives the Protector of Labour, and any inspector of labour, power to remove and detain in a suitable place for inquiries any young person or child found in any factory, etc., in which the Protector or inspector has reasonable cause to suspect that some offence against the Ordinance has been committed. Without some provision of this kind it would be difficult to investigate a suspected offence, and it might be very difficult to prove the offence if it had been committed. It is obvious that if the child or young person in question were the chief or the only witness of the offence there would be a great temptation in the mind of the offender to cause the disappearance of that witness, and this would be comparatively easy in the case of a child or young person. The detention would be in the interest of the child or young person, and in the interests of children and young persons employed in factories gene- rally. It would be for as short a time as possible.
4. A set of draft regulations proposed to be made when the bill is passed, is published simultaneously with the bill. These regulations make the following provisions :-
(a) Lead processes and manufacture of vermilion are added to the list of dangerous trades. (b) The employment of young persons in dangerous
trades is prohibited.
(c) The employment of women in dangerous trades without the special permission of the Protector of Labour is prohibited. It is proposed to allow the employment of women in fire cracker factories.
(d) The employment of women and young persons between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m, is prohibited.
J. H. KEMP,
Attorney General.
7th August, 1929.