(D) Concluding provisions.

(25) In all industrial premises designated under (A), (B) and (C) a copy of this Order shall be affixed in a suitable place accessible to all workmen, and maintained in a good and legible condition.

II. The provisions of this Order shall apply equally to premises already existing and those newly erected, rebuilt or altered, provided that any regulations affecting the construction of the workrooms of industrial establishments having already received legal authorisation shall apply only in so far as they shall not be contrary to the said authorisation.

III. Contraventions of this Order shall be punishable in accordance with the penal provisions of the Industrial Code or of the Ministerial Order of September 30th, 1857 (R.G.Bl. No. 198), unless there are circumstances rendering them subject to criminal proceedings.

This Order shall come into force at once. The Ministerial Order of Januray 17th, 1885 (R.G.Bl. No. 8) shall stand repealed from the same date.

5.-Commercial Occupations, Hours of work in.

House of Representatives. Introduction of a Government Bill drafted by the Ministry of Commerce :

Act, dated .., to amend and supplement the Industrial Code.

SECTION I.

The amendments given in §II., and the following new provisions shall be inserted in Part VI. of the Industrial Code [Notification of the Minister of Commerce, in agreement with the Minister of the Interior, dated August 16th, 1907. (R.G.Bl. No. 199)] :

(D) For Assistants in Commercial Occupations.

$96d. Assistants in commercial occupations (873) shall be allowed an uninterrupted period of 10 hours rest after the conclusion of the daily hours of work.

During working hours assistants shall be allowed a suitable midday break. The said break may be allowed to all assistants in a firm at the same time, or in shifts, and shall amount to at least one hour and a half if the afternoon period of employment exceeds four hours, and the assistants take their midday meal outside the business premises.

896e. Where in commercial undertakings the distribution of goods is carried on in public places of business (shops), such places and all offices and warehouses attached thereto shall be kept closed from 9 o'clock p.m. to 5 o'clock a.m.

Customers present in the shop at closing time may, notwithstanding, be served. The Provincial Government may, after consultation with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the local authorities (Gemeinde) and the general assembly and assistants' assembly of the guild concerned, order that in particular districts, or specified parts thereof, shops shall be closed at an earlier hour, to be fixed between 7 and 9 o'clock, during the whole year or on specified days. Such orders may apply to commercial undertakings in general or to particular classes of undertakings.

$96f. On market days the places designated in §96e, where articles dealt in at the market in question are bought or sold, may be opened at the hour when the market begins. $96g Seats shall be provided for women assistants employed in the places contemplated in §96e.

896h. The provisions relating to the minimum period of rest for assistants, contained in §96d, and those respecting the closing of shops contained in §96e, paragraphs I and 3, shall not apply :

:

(1) To stocktaking;

(2) To the removal of a business or rebuilding of business premises; (3) To attendance at markets;

(4) To processes which must be carried out immediately in order to prevent

the goods from spoiling or in view of other emergencies;

(5) To other occupations on not more than 30 days in the year.

Where the minimum period of rest of assistants is reduced in pursuance of Subsections 1-5 above, it shall suffice to give notice to the Industrial Authority, and in the case contemplated under (4) it shall not be necessary to present the said notice until after the occurrence in question, provided that it shall be given within 24 hours of the same. Notwithstanding, where the closing hour is modified in the cases contemplated under (5), the exceptional hours of closing and the days on which they are permitted shall be fixed in general, or for each particular branch of business and locality, by the Industrial Authority of first instance after consultation with the general assembly and assistants' assembly of the guild concerned.

Where the hours of work are extended, the assistants shall have the right to a suitable extra remuneration.

961. During such time as the places designated in §96e must remain closed, no showrooms in connection with manufacturing undertakings shall be kept open, nor shall any hawking of goods in the streets be carried on, unless the Industrial Authority shall permit exceptions in respect of hawking.

SECTION II.

The supplementary provisions introduced by the Act of July 22nd, 1902 (R.G.Bl. No. 155), in Part VI. of the Industrial Code-" B.B. for assistants in licensed building operations and other building undertakings" (§96c)—shall be headed "C. for assistants in licensed building operations and other building undertakings," and the supplementary provisions of Part VI. of the Industrial Code headed "C. For Apprentices shall be headed "E. For Apprentices."

SECTION III.

This Act suall come into force on the day of its notification.

SECTION IV.

($97-104)

My Minister of Commerce, in agreement with my Minister of the Interior, is charged with the enforcement of this Act.

6.—Insurance.

House of Representatives. Government Bill respecting International Agreements relating to workmen's accident insurance. (Soz. Rundschau, 1908, No. 1, p. 20.)

(1) The Government is hereby empowered to conclude agreements to regulate mutual relations in respect of workmen's accident insurance with the Governments of States where there exists a system of national accident insurance making provison corresponding to that of Austrian law. For this purpose, in case of reciprocity.

(1) the obligation to insure may be withdrawn in respect of the workmen and works officials of firms within the realm which are departments of a foreign undertaking, and may be extended to the workmen and works officials of firms abroad which are departments of an Austrian undertaking;

(2) the rules determining the procedure to be followed by such firms may differ from the corresponding propisions of Austrian law;

(3) the provisions of §42, paragraph (1), of the Act of December 28th, 1887 (R.G.Bl. 1. ex 1888)-relating to the capitalisation of the claims of foreign claimants residing abroad-may be revoked in respect of the subjects of States where the analogous legislation grants similar preferential treatment to Austrian subjects.

2. My Minister of the Interior, in agreement with My other Ministers concerned, is charged with the enforcement of this Act, which shall come into force on the day of its notification.

II. Belgium

(Chamber of Representatives, 1907.)

1.-Old Age and Invalidity Pensions. (See also No. 2.)

March 20th. Draft Bill to grant to all workmen a minimum of 360 francs per annum as an old age or invalidity pension; introduced by M. Warocqué. (Doc. No. 110.)

2.-Mines.

(a) January 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th and 31st; February 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 27th and 28th; March 1st, 6th, 7th and 19th. Debate on the clauses of the Government Bill to supplement and amend the Acts of April 21st, 1810, and May 2nd, 1837, to regulate mines (old age pensions, restriction of the employment of women and children, hygiene,

hours of work of adult men, eight hours day, conciliation, arbitration.)— April 10th, 11th, 12th, final vote.

(b) January 22nd and 23rd. The Minister of Industry and Labour interpellated by Denis, Berloz and Destrée on the mining concessions granted by him in the North Belgium district.

(c) February 27th. Introduction by M. Neujean of a proposal to institute a Parliamentary inquiry into the probable economic effects of the limitation to 8 hours of the working day in mines. (Doc. No. 85.)

3.-Night Work of Women.

June 27th. Introduction of a Government Bill to ratify the International Convention of Berne (1906) respecting the prohibition of the night work of

women.

4.-Dangerous, Unhealthy and Injurious Trades.

2nd August. Bill respecting dangerous, unhealthy and injurious trades (Doc. No. 232); introduced by M. Hellinckx.

5.-Ministry of Industry and Labour.

January 23rd. Report of the Central Section on the Budget of the Minister of Industry and Labour for the year 1907, submitted by M. Verhaegen.

6.-Councils of Industry and Labour.

January 24th. Introduction of a Government Bill to amend the Act of August 16th, 1887, respecting Councils of Industry and Labour. (Doc. No. 54; for the text of the Bill and a statement of its objects, see Revue du Travail XII., No. 4, pp. 224-52.)

7.-Employment of Children in Industrial Establishments.

February 22nd. Draft Bill to amend §2 of the Act of December 13th, 1889, introduced by M. Bertrand.

8.-Sleeping Accommodation for the Staffs of Industrial and Commercial establishments.

January 25th. Draft Bill concerning sleeping accommodation for the staffs of industrial and commercial establishments; introduced by M. Maenhout. 9.-Sunday Rest.

March 12th. Introduction of a Government Bill to amend §2 of the Act of July 17th, 1905, relating to Sunday rest (Doc. No. 98; for the text of the Bill and a statement of its objects, see Revue du Travail XII., No. 7, pp. 438-9.)

Dip. June 10th, 1907. Question by Senor Rabola on abuses in connection with emigration. The Minister of the Interior intimated that there was a prospect of legislation. (B.d.I.d. R.S. IV., 67.)

*Dip.

=

Congress de los diputados; Sen. Instituto de Reformas Sociales.

= Senado; B.d.I.d.R.S.

= Boletin del

Sen. June 22nd, 1907. Bill to regulate emigration, introduced by the Minister of the Interior. (B.d.I.d. R.S. IV., 147.)--July 11th. Committee's report presented. (B.d.I.d. R.S. IV., 839.-July 12th. Committee's report read. (B.d.I.d. R.S. IV., 864.)-July 15th. Amendments moved by Odón de Buen. (B.d.I.d. R.S. IV., 851.)—October 10th. Amendments moved by Calbeton, Alonso Castrillo, Palomo. (B.d.I.d. R.S. IV., 854.) 2.-Institute of Social Reform.

Sen. July 25th, 1907. Reading of Budget Committee's Report on the Bill to grant a supplementary credit of 60,000 pesetas for the Institute of Social Reform. Adopted by tacit consent.—July 26th, 1907. Final Vote (B.d.I.d. R.S. IV., 869.)

Sen. Sitting of October 22nd, 1907. Bill (introduced in July, 1907) to amend §5 of the Act of April 12th, 1906, relating to the contributions payable by non-patented enterprises towards the guarantee fund established by the Act of April 9th, 1898, relating to industrial accidents; referred to the Accidents Committee. -Sitting of December 9th, 1907. Report on the Bill submitted by M. Cordelet. (Doc. Parl., No. 320.)-Sitting of December 17th. Declaration of urgency. Adopted.-Sent down to the Chamber of Deputies on December 20th, 1907. Referred to the Insurance and Thrift Committee. (Doc. Parl., No. 1,401.)

C. of D. Sitting of December 20th, 1907. Draft Bill to amend §15 of the Act of May 31st, 1905, relating to industrial accidents; introduced by M. Leboucq. (Doc Parl, No 1,389.)

47-Agricultural Accidents.

C. of D. Sitting of October 24th, 1907. Draft Bill respecting liability for agricultural accidents; introduced by M. Paul Beauregard. Referred to the Insurance and Thrift Committee.

48.-Provident Fund for Seamen.

C. of D. Sitting of December 17th, 1907.

Draft Bill to add a paragraph

to 89 of the Act of December 29th, 1905, relating to the provident fund for insuring seamen against risks and accidents. (Doc. Parl., Ño. 1,384.) Introduced by M. Armez.

49.-Contracts of Work.

C. of D. Sitting of December 27th, 1907. Report on the Bill to regulate contracts of work. Submitted by M. Chambon. (Doc. Parl., No. 1,409.)

50.-Berne Convention: Night-work of Women.

Sen. Sitting of October 22nd, 1907. Bill (as adopted by the C. of D.) relating to the execution of the International Convention of Berne on the Night-work of Women in Industrial Occupations. Introduced by the Minister of Labour. (Doc. Parl., No. 292.)

51.-Agricultural Loan Societies.

C. of D. Sitting of December 17th, 1907. Declaration of urgency and adoption of the Bill to amend paragraph I of §1 of the Act of November 5th, 1894, relating to the establishment of agricultural loan societies.

Sen. Sitting of December 25th, 1907. Bill sent up as adopted by the C. of D. Referred to the Finance Committee.- Sitting of December 29th, 1907. Jean Dupuy's report. (Doc. Parl., No. 374.) Declaration of urgency. Adopted.

52.-Miners' Delegates.

C. of D. Sitting of November 18th, 1907. Bill to give miners' delegates, instituted by the Act of July 9th, 1890, power to notify, in the manner prescribed in §3 of the said Act, contraventions of the Acts of November 2nd, 1892, March 30th, 1900, and June 29th, 1905, discovered by them in the course of their visits of inspection. Introduced by the Minister of Labour. Referred to the Labour Committee.

53.-Disputes respecting Conditions of Labour.

C. of D. Sitting of December 27th, 1907. Report submitted by M. Colliard in the name of the Labour Committee, on the draft Bills: (1) introduced by M. Millerand, relating to the amicable settlement of disputes respecting conditions of labour; (2) introduced by M. Paul Constans (Allier) and others to regulate the right to strike; (3) introduced by M. Rudelle, relating to the amicable settlement of collective disputes between employers and workmen ; (4) introduced by M. Ferdinand Buisson and others, requiring the inclusion in public contracts of terms imposing compulsory arbitration; (5) introduced by MM. Desplas and Chautard, to suppress strikes and to institute compulsory arbitration in industries dealing with prime utilities. (Doc. Parl., No. 1,418.) 54-Weekly Rest.

C. of D. Sitting of December 20th, 1907. Draft Bill to grant an amnesty in respect of contraventions of and offences against the Act relating to the weekly day of rest. Introduced by M. Georges Berry. Claim of urgency and request for immediate consideration. Referred by vote to the Judicial Reform Committee. (Doc. Parl., No. 1,402.)

55.-Unemployment: Automobile Industry.

C. of D. Sitting of October 24th, 1907. Draft Bill to open at the Ministry of the Interior an extraordinary credit of 25,000 francs to assist the families of workmen affected by the unemployment resulting from the present crisis in the automobile and similar industries. Introduced and read by M. Coutant. Referred to the Budget Committee. (Doc. Parl., No. 1,266.) 56.-Capitalisation Societies.

Sen. Sitting of November 7th, 1907. Report submitted by M. Victor Lourties on the Bill adopted by the C. of D. to regulate the supervision of capitalisation societies.- Sitting of December 9th, 1907. Adopted after a declaration of urgency*

57-Mutual Aid Societies.

Sen. Sitting of October 29th, 1907. Summary report submitted by M. Fortier on M. Lourties' draft Bill to amend and supplement the Act of April 1st, 1898, relating to mutual aid societies. (Doc. Parl., No. 296.)— Sitting of November 7th, 1907. M. Victor Lourties' draft Bill accepted for consideration.

*Act of 19th December, 1907.