Question juridique clé
Whether the 1881 factory liability statute applied retroactively to an accident occurring before its entry into force.
Solution extraite
The claim had to be assessed under the Factory Act of 23 March 1877, not under the Act of 25 June 1881, because the accident occurred before the latter entered into force and no retroactive effect applied.
Motifs extraits
Liability arises at the time of the accident; the later statute did not retroactively expand the employer's liability for pre-entry claims.