The "Employment of Females Act," under which a number of prosecutions were instituted some time ago, appears to be a dead letter in Auckland at the present time. During the recent session of Parliament, the Act nnder which Sergeant Gamble had been appointed was repealed, and con sequently there is now no officer to see to the proper carrying out of its provisions, Several alterations inserted .during .the session have also tepdod to make the Act unworkable, the principal amongst these beinc a section which only gives the officer power to visit the workrooms during work* ing hours. He has no authority to go there after the ordinary hours, or at the mid-day recess, when it is necessary that he should be present to see that the employes are not detained beyond their time. The old Act poß*essed many defects, and with tho view of remedying some of these, a nnmbor of suggestions were drawn up by Sergeant Gamble, and sent to tho Attorney- General by Mr Barstow, with the recom mendation that they should be carried into effect. No notice, however, appears to have been taken of them.
