■ His reason ifor this is that some of the evils • which the Wages Protection Act, 1899, was , passed to defeat will be perpetuated if the ; Government or any other insurance agent allows an employer to evade his personal liability for compensation to killed or in ', jured workmen by paving a premium. Such [ insurance should only be effected among I themselves by the 'employers in a district, as in Austria, or by the whole of the em ■ plovers in a certain trade, as in Germany. The vSecretary would like to see the Shop and Shop Assistants Act made more com prehensive, as a further check on the hours ' of labour of assistants. He suggests that an Act should be passed directing thatall ' overtime ibe paid for at the rate of time and a half, with a minimum wage of 6d per hour. The report states "that there should be some clause in the Bill defining 1 that restaurants and refreshment rooms of any kind are shops, subject to the provisions • of "the Act, also that a woman inspector t should , have power to visit bedroom accom " modation provided for assistants in these. establishments, and, if necessary, see that ■ improvements are made. At present there. is reason to believe that some of the sleep ing -rooms are dirty dens, unfit for human r occupation. Air Trecrear says many complaints are l made by clerks and by storemen in ware houses as to the hours of overtime extracted ' from them without any remuneration. He , says. __"To give a day's pay and insist on two days* work for it appears to be a time. honoured institution. Even Sundays are ' sw -allowed up in some mercantile omees, or

the books have to be taken home. I see no reply except a similar one to the pro vision in the Factory Act (section 55). ■which allows no overtime without payment, nor unless the written pErmit of the In spector is hung up in the workroom, with the names of those to whom the permit is allowed written thereon." The report further suggests that the Em ployment of Girls and Boys Without Pay ment Prevention Act should be made "to apply to shops, as errand 'buys should re ceive some small wage. 