RAILWAYS, 159 
We are informed that steps are already being taken to apply 
the regulations to running staff, as well as to the rest of railway servants, 
and that instructions have been issued to provide them with a periodic 
rest by an increase in staff that will not exceed 29, of the present 
strength. ‘We have been advised by the Railway Board that, during next 
year, administrations will report the extent to which it has not been 
possible, with this increase, to apply in addition the stipulated weekly 
limitation. In view of the years that have elapsed since the ratification 
of the Washington and Geneva Conventions and since the application 
of the provisions to workers in factories and mines, special efforts should 
now be made to put these regulations into effect as quickly as possible, In 
our opinion increased measures of uniformity of application are desirable 
and in particular it should be possible, after consulting the workers and 
their representatives, to arrive at an understanding respecting the general 
lines of classification of essentially intermittent workers, As indicated 
above, the proportion of these workers is small, and the Act of 1930 pro- 
vides that they cannot be employed for more than 84 hours in any week. 
We recommend that the Railway Board should reconsider the practi- 
cability of reducing these hours and of giving days of absence at reason- 
able’ intervals where weekly rest days cannot be given, 
Uniformity Undesirable. 
The Act of 1930 also provides that railway servants whose work 
is continuous shall not be employed for more than 60 hours in the week 
on the average in any month. Work in railways varies greatly from 
branch to branch, and it is not possible to apply to such work uniform 
breatment on the lines applicable to work in factories and mines, In 
tonsequence a limit designed to cover all persons employed more or less 
continuously may be too high for certain classes of work, whereas a limit 
based on the requirements of those workers from whom most is demanded 
would be unjustifiably low if generally applied. We consider that there 
are branches of employment where, by reason of the degree of concentra- 
bion required, the existing hours are too long. In the report of the Select 
Committee which considered what is now the Act of 1930, reference 
was made to the possibility of « fixing the hours of work at a lower figure 
than fifty-six hours a week for those railway servants whose duties are 
specially arduous and involve continuous concentration.” In such cases 
the aim should be to secure a weekly limit not exceeding 48 hours. 
We recommend that, as soon as experience of the altered working hours 
is available, the case of all individual branches be examined in turn with 
3 View to determining to what extent the prevailing hours require reduc- 
tion, and that thereafter action be taken to secure. on all rail ways, 
the reduction necessary. 
A Minority View 
Mr Cliff, Mr Joshi and Diwan Chaman Lall are of opinion that any 
consideration of the hours of railway workers must have regard to the 
fact that the times of beginning and finishing duty are irregular and are 
spread over both dav and night. - The workers CITING Lars eet