Apprenticeship Act 1851 No 7a (NSW)

No. I I .

An Act to make further provision for the

apprenticing of the Children in the Male

and Female Orphan Schools and other poor

Children.	[1st December, 1851.]
His late Majesty King William the Fourth intituled " An Act for	W HEREAS by an Act of the Governor and Legislative Council of New South Wales passed in the fifth year of the reign of
" apprenticing the Children of the Male and Female Orphan Schools " and. other poor Children in the Colony of New South Wales" provision was made for binding any of the male and female children admitted into the said Orphan Schools and also such other poor children as should from time to time be sent out from any part of the United Kingdom to this Colony at public expense to be apprentices to such masters and mistresses and such trades as should be approved of by the Governor of the said Colony And whereas it will be advantageous to extend the provisions of the said Act to other poor children who shall have been maintained in any institution whatever supported at the public expense or at any institution supported wholly or in part by charitable subscriptions or endow­ ments and to children who have been convicted of vagrancy or of any criminal offence And whereas it frequently happens that idle and dissolute persons after having left their children to be brought up at the public expense or by charity until they have approached the age at which it would be for their benefit and advantage that they should be put out as apprentices have then required their said children to be given up to them whereby the said children have been exposed to corrupting influences and have been deprived of the benefit of apprenticeship to masters or mistresses who would probably have trained them to habits of industry and honesty Be it therefore enacted by His Excellency the Governor of New South Wales by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof That in all cases in which any child shall for the period of three years have been main­ tained and educated at one of the said Orphan Schools or at any other institution supported at the public expense or by charitable subscrip­ tions or endowments the parents or parent of such child shall not be entitled to remove him or her from the said Orphan School or other institution unless with the consent of the person or persons having the management or control thereof and it shall be lawful for any two or more persons empowered in that behalf by the said Governor as by the said recited Act is provided to bind every or any such child at the proper age for that purpose to be an apprentice to such master or mistress and to such trade or occupation as to them shall seem fit notwithstanding the dissent of the parents or parent of such child and every such binding shall be effectual to all intents and purposes and shall operate under and subject to the provisions of the said recited Act Provided always that no such apprentice shall be bound for a longer term or period than seven years.
2. And be it enacted That when any young person shall be placed in any such Orphan School or other institution or shall be bound apprentice as aforesaid it shall be lawful for the parent or guardian of such young person or apprentice to claim the possession of the said young person or apprentice and to make application to any two Justices of the Peace for that purpose and the said Justices shall i f

if they so think fit in a summary way have power to order such young person or apprentice to he restored to his or her parent or guardian on such terms and conditions and upon payment of such sum of money as the said Justices may deem to be equitable and just and upon such terms and conditions being complied with and such payment being made the said Justices shall have power to cancel the indentures of such apprentice and to order such young person or apprentice to be restored to his or her parent or guardian.

3 . And be it enacted That no such apprentice if bound for the

purpose of being taught any trade shall be employed in such descrip­ tion of work as may appertain or belong to such trade for more than ten hours in any one day nor for more than sixty hours in any one week Provided always that this restriction shall not apply to appren­ tices bound to farming occupations or other servants in husbandry or to domestic service.