WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION. 299 
notified by the local Governments under Section 2 (3) (b). Suggestions 
have been made to us that these should also be included. Buf we do not: 
think that the question of the inclusion of factory workers within the 
scope of the Workmen’s Corapensation Act should be bound up with 
that of bringing these factories under the Factories Act; it is prefer- 
able that the factory workers to whom the former Act applies should be 
clearly specified as at present. We recommend the extension of that 
Act to factories using power in aid of a manufacturing process and em- 
ploying not less than 10 persons on any one day of the year and also to 
factories carrying on manufacturing processes without the use of power, 
if not less than 50 persons are employed on any one day. In the case of 
mines, the Act at present applies to all mines subject to the operation 
of the Mines Act. This provision is open to the objection referred to’ 
above in the case of factories, for it is possible for the Government 
of India to exclude any mines or classes of mines from the operation 
of the Mines Act. The effect of exclusion, which may be necessitated 
by administrative considerations applicable solely to the Mines Act, is 
to deprive workers of their right to compensation. We recommend, 
therefore, that the Workmen's Compensation Act should apply to workers 
in all mines except those open quarries in which less than 50 persons are 
employed and in which no explosives are used. This last qualification 
is advisable, because the clause relating to blasting operations might be 
regarded as covering only those engaged in such operations, and not alk 
who are Hable to be placed in jeopardy thereby. In respect of dock 
workers, we recommend an extension of the definition to cover all classes 
of workmen employed in docks. In respect of oilfields the definition, 
which is apparently intended to exclude non-hazardous employment, 
should be enlarged by the excision of the specific occupations given in the 
clause relating to the industry. In the clause relating to building work, 
we recommend ihe exclusion of the reference to industrial or commercial 
purposes and the inclusion of all permanent bridges. Even with these 
extensions, the Act would fail to include a large nuinber of workers 
engaged in building and other outdeor constructional work who satisfy 
both the criteria originally laid down, and the application of our 
methods will involve a large extension. We deal with further classes 
of sich workers later. 
Seamen and the Act. 
The case of persons employed on ships requires fuller considera~ 
tion. The Act at present applies only to those engaged on sea-going 
ships registered under Indian Acts, on the 'arger coasting ships registered 
under those Acts and on the larger inland steam vessels. The great 
majority of Indian seamen, however, are engaged on ships registered 
outside India, and mainly on British ships. These have no statutory 
claim to compensation under the Indian Act; but they have the 
protection of the British and other Workmen's Compensation Acts. It 
18, however, in most cases a difficult matter for them to avail them- 
selves of this protection, and their dependants find it even more diffi- 
cult. For example. if a seaman is killed while engaged on a British