256 



(4-) Whenever the employer or employed shall neglect or refuse to fulfil any 

 contract of service, or the employed shall neglect or refuse to enter upon or 

 commence his service according to the contract, or shall absent himself from his 

 service, or whenever any dispute, question, or difference shall arise as to (he rights 

 or liabilities of either of the parties, or touching any misusage, misconduct, ill- 

 treatment, or injury to the person or property of either of the parties under any 

 contract or service, or touching the loss or destruction of such property, the party 

 feeling aggrieved may lay an information or complaint in writing before a justice 

 of the peace, setting forth the ground of complaint, and the amount of wages, 

 compensation, damage, or other remedy claimed for the breach or non-perform- 

 ance of such contract, or for any misusage, misconduct, illtreatment, or injury to 

 the person or property of the person complaining, or for the loss or destru> 

 such property, and upon such information or complaint being laid, the justice 

 taking the same shall issue, or cause to be issued, a summons to the party so com- 

 plained against, setting forth the grounds of complaint, and the amount claimed 

 for wages, compensation, damage, or other remedy as set forth in the said infor- 

 mation or complaint, and requiring such party to appear at the time and place 

 appointed in such summons, before any two or more justices of the peace, to 

 answer the matter of the information or complaint, so that the same may be then 

 and there heard and determined. 



(7.) Upon the hearing of any information or complaint under the provisions 

 of this act, the justices hearing the same, after due examination, and upon proof of 

 the matter of such information or complaint, by an order in writing under their 

 hands, in their discretion, as the justice of the case may require, shall either make 

 an abatement of the whole or any part of the wages or other remuneration then 

 already due to the employed, or shall direct the fultiment of the contract of service 

 with a direction to the party complained against to find forthwith good and 

 sufficient security by recognisance or bond, with or without sureties, to the satis- 

 faction of a justice for the fulfilment of such contract, or shall annul the contract, 

 discharging the parties from the same and apportioning the amount of wages or 

 remuneration due up to completed period of such contract ; or where no amount 

 of compensation or damage can he assessed, or where pecuniary compensation 

 will not, in the opinion of the justices, meet the circumstances of the case, shall 

 impose a tine upon the party complained against, not exceeding in amount the sum 

 of twenty pounds, or shall assess and determine the amount of compensation or 

 damage together with the costs to be made to the party complaining, inclusive of 

 the amount of any wages or remunei ation abated, and shall direct the same to be 

 paid accordingly. 



(8.) If the order shall direct the fulfilment of the contract and shall direct the 

 parly complained against to find good and sufficient security as aforesaid, and the 

 party complained against shall neglect or refuse to comply with such order, a 

 justice may, if he shall think tit, by warrant under his hand, commit such party to 

 any gaol, there to be confined and kept until he shall so find security ; but ncver- 



<<> that the term of imprisonment, whether under one or several su 

 committals, shall not exceed in the whole three months, provided, always, that the 

 hearing the information or complaint as aforesaid may. if they think lit, 

 nd deli ! mil ic' the amount of wages, compensation, or damage' to be paid to 

 "ly complaining, and direct the same 1o be paid, whether the contract is 

 ordered by them to be annulled or not ; or, in addition to the annulling of the 

 contrat I of service and discharge of the paitics from ihe same, may. if they think 

 tit, impose a line ai hereinbefore authorised, provided always, that no apprentice- 

 ship indenti;: iiic-nt ^liail be annulled except upon proof of illtreatment of 



the ,i| prentice by the maMcr. or incompctency on the part of the master to 

 teai h such appi i -mice, <>r willul neglect BOtoteacfl such apprentice, or incorrigible 

 misconduct on the part of the apprentice, provided, also, that the- justices if they 

 rescind Or annul any agreement or indenture of apprenticeship may, if they think 

 fit, order the whole or any part of the premium paid on the binding of the 



apprentice to be repaid to the person or personi paying the same provided, also, 



lhat nothing herein contained shall authorise the justices to adjudicate where the 







