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CHAPTER XII.

Wages in Seasonal Factories.

Of the seasonal factories, we select cotton ginning and pressing
as being the most important. The Madras Government give the following
 daily rates for 1928 :—

Ginning—
Men
Womer
Pressing—
Men
Wormer

(lass of labour.

Factories in
the Coimbatore
 district.

All factories
in the
Presidency.

Rs, a. ». Rs, A. Pp.
0 73 0 8 0
057 | 05 1
011 9 0 9 6
0 6 2 0 510

In the Punjab, rates are reported as eight annas a day for men
and six annas a day for women. In the United Provinces, the Chief
Inspector of Factories in evidence estimated the average wage of workers
at five to six annas a day, but another estimate gives the wages of men at
Rs. 15 a month and of women at Rs. 10 a month. In the Bombay
Presidency rates apparently vary considerably. We have received
particulars of the present rates for some districts and in these men’s
rates commonly lie between 6 and 12 annas a day and women’s rates
between 4 and 8 annas a day. The rates given above are for the rank
and file. Those whose work is skilled or involves responsibility, such
as fitters, engineers, engine-drivers, get much higher rates and are
usually paid monthly.

Earnings in Mines,

Statistics of average earnings of workers in mines are obtained
in a form prescribed by the regulations framed under the Indian Mines
Act. The mineowners are required to give for the month of December
the average daily earnings of their employees, separately for underground
 workers, those employed on open workings and on the surface.
The average daily earnings are obtained by dividing the total amount
paid in wages for work done in December by the aggregate daily
attendance in that month. From the returns thus submitted, the Chief
Inspector of Mines prepares a statement showing average earnings in
the different fields which is incorporated in his annual report. We reproduce
 on the following page the average daily earnings for December
1929 for the more important mining areas shown in this statement.