is hereby designated a half holiday, and any day appointed or recommended by the governor of this state, or the president of the United States, as a day of thanksgiving, or fasting and prayer, or other religious observance, shall, for all purposes whatever as regards the presenting for payment or acceptance, and of the protesting and giving notice of the dishonor of bills of exchange, bank checks and promissory notes, made after the passage of this act, be treated and considered as the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, and as public holidays or half holidays; and all such bills, checks and notes otherwise presentable for acceptance or payment on any of the said days shall be deemed to be payable and be presentable for acceptance or payment on the secular or business day next succeeding such holiday; but in the case of a half holiday shall be presentable for acceptance or payment at or before twelve o'clock noon of that day; provided, however, that for the purpose of protesting or otherwise holding liable any party to any bill of exchange, check or promissory note, and which shall not have been paid before twelve o'clock at noon on any Saturday, a demand of acceptance or payment thereof may be made and notice of protest or dishonor thereof may be given on the next succeeding secular or business day; and provided further, that when any person shall receive for collection any check, bill of exchange or promissory note, due and presentable for acceptance or payment on any Saturday, such person shall not be deemed guilty of any neglect or omission of duty, nor incur any liability in not presenting for payment or acceptance, or collect such check, bill of exchange or promissory note on that day; and provided further, that in construing this section every Saturday, unless a whole holiday as aforesaid, shall, until twelve o'clock noon, be deemed a secular or business day; and the days and half days aforesaid shall be considered as the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, and as public holidays or half holidays, for all purposes whatsoever as regards the transaction of business in the public offices of this state, or counties of this state; on all other days or half days, excepting Sundays, such offices shall be kept open for the transaction of business.

2. Whenever the first day of January, the twenty-second day of February, the thirtieth day of May, the fourth day of July or the twenty-fifth day of December shall fall upon Sunday, the Monday next following shall be deemed a public holiday for all or any of the

purposes aforesaid; provided, however, that in such cases all bills of exchange, checks and promissory notes, made after the passage of this act, which would otherwise be presentable for acceptance or payment on the said Monday, shall be deemed to be presentable for acceptance or payment on the secular or business day next succeeding such holiday.

3. The provisions of this act shall not be construed as interfering with any person or corporation transacting business in this state, either private or public, but every such person or corporation shall be permitted to conduct business on any holiday or half holiday herein designated, in the same manner as if this law had not been passed.

Approved March 9th, 1891. P. L. Chap. 43.

An Act to regulate the hours of labor of employes of surface and elevated railroad companies.

1. Twelve hours' labor, to be performed within twelve consecutive hours, with reasonable time for meals, not less than half an hour for each, shall constitute a day's labor in the operation of all cable, traction and horse-car street surface railroads, and of all cable, traction and steam elevated railroads, owned or operated by corporations incorporated under the laws of this state, for the employes of such corporations in operating such railroads.

2. It shall be a misdemeanor for any officer or agent of any such corporation to exact from any of such employes more than twelve hours' labor within the twenty-four hours of the natural day, and within twelve consecutive hours therein, as in the first section provided; provided, however, that in case of accident or unexpected contingency demanding more than the usual service by such corporation to the public, or from such employes to the corporation, extra labor may be permitted and exacted for extra compensation.

3. It is the true intent and purpose of this act to limit the usual hours of labor of the employes of railroad corporations as aforesaid to twelve hours' actual work a day, to be performed within a period of twelve consecutive hours as aforesaid, whether such employes be employed by the trip or trips, the job, the hour, the day, the week, the month, or in any other manner.

Approved April 8th, 1887. P. L., Chap. 112.

An Act to provide for the better protection of drivers of horsecars on street passenger railroads in the cities and towns of this state.

1. Hereafter all horse-car passenger railroads in the cities and towns of this state shall provide a proper seat upon the front platform of each car for the use of the driver on such car, when driving the same, under reasonable restrictions by the company operating such car as to the use of the said seat in going up or down grade or otherwise.

2. Any such company failing to comply with the requirements of the first section of this act shall be liable to a penalty of twenty-five dollars for each day any car belonging to them shall be in use without such seat, to be recovered in an action of debt, before any justice of the peace, or district court, in the county or city where such railroad may be, by any person suing for the same; one-half of said forfeiture to be paid to the county treasurer of the county where such suit is brought, and one-half to the person who shall prosecute the same to effect.

Approved March 3d, 1882. P. L., Chap. 40. Rev. Sup., p. 371, § 35.

An Act for the preservation of health of female employes.

1. It shall be the duty of all employers of females in any mercantile business or occupation to provide and maintain suitable seats for the use of such female employes, at or beside the counter or work-bench where employed, and to permit the use of such seats by such employes to such an extent as may be reasonable for the preservation of their health.

2. Any violation of this act by any employer shall be deemed a misdemeanor, and, on being thereof convicted, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars, at the discretion of the court. Approved March 31st, 1882. P. L., Chap. 159. Rev. Sup., p. 360, § 147.

An Act for the preservation of the health of female employes employed in manufacturing, mechanical and mercantile establishments.

1. Every person or corporation employing female employes in any manufacturing, mechanical or mercantile establishment in this state

shall provide suitable seats for the use of the female employes so employed, and shall permit the use of such seats by them when they are not necessarily engaged in the active duties for which they are employed.

2. A person or corporation violating any of the provisions of this act shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten dollars nor more than twenty-five dollars for each offense.

Approved April 17th, 1884. P. L., Chap. 149. Rev. Sup., p. 360, § 149.

An Act to limit the age and employment-hours of labor of children, minors and women, and to appoint an inspector for the enforcement of the same.

1. After the fourth day of July, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-three, no boy under the age of twelve years, nor any girl under fourteen years of age, shall be employed in any factory, workshop, mine or establishment where the manufacture of any goods whatever is carried on.

2. On and after the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-four, no child between the ages of twelve and fifteen years shall be employed in any factory, workshop, mine or establishment where the manufacture of any kind of goods whatever is carried on, unless such child shall have attended, within twelve months immediately preceding such employment, some public day or night school, or some well-recognized private school; such attendance to be for five days or evenings every week during a period of at least twelve consecutive weeks, which may be divided into two terms of six consecutive weeks each, so far as the arrangement of school terms will permit, and unless such child, or its parents or guardian, shall have presented to the manufacturer, merchant or other employer seeking to employ such child, a certificate giving the name of his parents or guardian, the name and number of the schools attended, and the number of weeks in attendance, such certificate to be signed by the teacher or teachers of such child;* provided, that in case the age of the child be not known, such teacher shall certify that the age given is the true age, to the best of his or her knowledge or belief; provided, that in case of orphan children, where necessity may seem to require, the guardian or others having charge of the same may,

*See Section 2 of the compulsory education act (1885), below.

upon application to the inspector provided for in this act, receive from him a permit for the employment of such child or children, under such regulations as the said inspector may prescribe.

3. No child or children under the age of fourteen years shall be employed in any factory, workshop, mill or establishment where the manufacture of any kind of goods is carried on, for a longer period than an average of ten hours in a day, or sixty hours in a week.*

[4. Every manufacturer, merchant or other employer employing any persons contrary to the provisions of this act, or who shall be guilty of any violation hereof, shall be liable to a penalty of fifty dollars for each offense, to be recovered in an action of debt in any district court in any city, or before any justice of the peace having due jurisdiction, and that any parent or guardian who knowingly permits the employment of such child or children shall be liable in a like action to a penalty of not more than fifty dollars, as the court shall fix; that such action shall be prosecuted in the name of the inspector; the trial shall proceed as in other actions of debt, and the first process shall be a summons returnable in not less than five days or more than ten after issue, and it shall not be necessary to indorse the same as in qui tam actions; the finding of the court shall be that the defendant has or has not, as the case may be, incurred the penalty claimed in the demand of the plaintiff, and judgment shall be given accordingly; in case an execution shall issue and be returned unsatisfied, the court, on application, after notice to the defendant, may award an execution to take the body of the defendant, and in case such a defendant is committed under such an execution he shall not be discharged under the insolvent laws of the state, but shall only be discharged by the court making the order for the body execution, or one of the justices of the supreme court, when such court or justice shall be satisfied that further confinement will not accomplish the payment of the judgment and costs; an affidavit of the age of any minor, made by its parents or guardian at the time of its employment, shall be conclusive evidence of the age of such minor upon any trial against a manufacturer or employer for the violation of this act, but any parent or guardian that shall knowingly swear falsely in such affidavit shall be guilty of perjury, and the inspector or deputy inspector shall be authorized, in case they shall find any minor em

* See Section 7 of the general factories act (1885) and supplement (1887), respectively, below.