The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-31 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL GANGS.

The following is a copy of a bill introduced into
the House of Lords by the Lord Chancellor, entitled en
Act for the Regulation of Agricultural Gangs :
" Whereas in certain counties in England certain per-
sons known as gangmasters hire children, young persons,
and women, with • view to contracting with farmers and
other* for the execution, on their lands, of various kinds
of agricultural work : and whereas it is expedient to make
regulations with respect to the employment of children,
young persons, and women by gangmuters. De it enacted
by the flue' n's most excellent Majesty, by ►nd 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, as follows :
" 1. This art may be cited for all purposes ' The Agricul-
tural Gangs Act, 1867.'
"2. This act shall come into operation on the Ist of
January, 1869.
" 3. The following words and expression. !hall in this
act have the meanings hereby assigned to them, unless
there is something in the context inconsistent with such
meanings, that is to say, ' child' shall mean • child under
the age of thirteen years ; ' young person' shall mean •
person of the age of thirteen years and under the age of
eighteen years ; woman' shall mean • female of the age
of eighteen years or upwards ; gangmaster ' shall mean
any person who hires children, young persons, or women,
with a view to their being employed in agricultural labour
on lands not in his own occupation ; and, until the con-
trary is proved, any children, young persons, or women
employed in agricultural labour on lands not in the occu-
pation of the person who hired them shall be deemed to
have been hired with the aforesaid view ; ' agricultural
tural gang' shall mean a body of children, young persons,
and women, or any of them, under the control of • gang-
master.

"4. The following regulations shall be observed by every'
ganginurter with respect to the employment of children,
young persons, and women:—(l.) No child under the age
of eight years shall be employed in any agricultural gang ;
(2.) Ne females shall be employed in the same agricultural
gang with males, or under a male person acting as gang-
muter ; and any gangmaster employing any child, young
person, or women in contravention of this section, and
any occupier of land on which such employment takes
place, unless he proves that it took place without his
knowledge, shall respectively be liable to a penalty not
exceeding 20s, for each child, young person, or woman so
employed.
"5. No person shall act as gangmaster unless he has
obtained a license to act as such under this act. Any
person acting as gangmaster without a license under this
act shall incur a penalty not exceeding 20s. for every day
during which he so acts.
"0. No license shall be granted to any person who is
licensed to sell beer, spirits, or any other exciseshle liquor.
"7. Licenses to gangmaaters shall be granted by the
justices in petty sessions, on due proof to the satis-
faction of such justices that the applicant for a license is
a good character, and a tit person to be en-
trusted with the management of an agricultural gang.
Any person aggrieved by the refusal of the justices to
grant him a license to act as gangmaster may appeal to
the next practicable court of general or quarter sessions;
and it shall be lawful for such court, if they see cause,
to grant a license to the applicant, which shall be of the
same validity as if it had been granted by the justices in
petty sessions.

"8. Licenses under this set shall be in force for one
year only, and may be annually renewed on the same proof
on which an original license is granted.
"9. There shall be charged in respect of each grant or
renewal of license a fee of Is., and such fee shall be ac-
counted for and applied in manner in which the fees ordi-
narily received by the authority granting the license are
applicable.
" 10. On any conviction of a gangmaater of any offence
against this act, the justices who convict him shall endorse
on his license the fact of such conviction ; and on any con•
viction of such gangmastcr of a second offence against this
act the justices may, in addition to any other penalty,
suspend his license for a period not exceeding six months ;
and on any conviction of any gangmaster of a third
offence against this set the justices may, in addition to
any other penalty, suspend his license fur a period not ex-
ceeding two years ; and after a fourth conviction for an
offence against this act, the gangroaster shell he li..inali-
tied from holding or receiving a license under this act.
" 11. All penalties under this act may bo recovered sum-
marily before two or more justices in manner directed by
an act passed in the session holden in the llth and 12th
years of the reign of her Majesty Queen Victoria, cap. 4:1,
intituled 'An Act to facilitate the performance of the
duties of justices of the peace out of sessions within Eng-
land and Wales with respect to summary convictions and
orders,' or any act amending the same.
" 12. This act shall not apply to Scotland or Ireland."

WHITEHALL, JULY 29.—The Queen has been
pleased to present the Rev. Donald Macleod to the charge
and office of first minister of the church and parish of
Montrose, in the presbytery of Brechin and county of For-
far, vacant by the transportation of the Rev. Malcolm
Campbell Taylor to the united parishes of Cathie and
Braemar.--Gazette. _

WHITEHALL, JULY 27.—The Queen has been
pleued to direct letters patent to be passed under the
Great Seal granting the dignity of a knight of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Inked nate William sit.
Mali, BK.—Gareas.