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CHAPTER XXIV.—STATISTICS AND ADMINISTRATION. 
In this chapter we deal mainly with the relations of the adminis- 
tration to labour, reserving questions that raise constitutional issues for 
the following chapter. We devote the first part of the chapter to the 
question of the collection of intelligence, and particularly statistical in- 
formation, regarding labour. Inthesecond part we deal with the general 
administration of labour subjects by the various Governments concerned, 
and indicate how some of the recommendations we have already made in 
connection with the administration of special subjects can be co-ordinat- 
ed. 
I. STATISTICS AND INTELLIGENCE. . 
Factory Statistics. 
The existing statistical information relating to labour can be 
briefly reviewed. So far as factories are concerned, there is published 
in each province an annual report on the working of the Factories Act. 
These reports, in addition to reviewing the administration of the Act for 
the preceding year, contain a little information regarding wages and other 
matters affecting the welfare of the workers. They are accompanied 
by fairly full statistics giving details of the number of factories, the work- 
ing population, their hours of employment, accidents, inspections, prose- 
cutions under the Act and other matters. The information contained in 
the various provincial reports is summarised in “ Statistics of Factories ”, 
an annual publication issued by the Government of India. To this is 
appended a short note on the working of the Factories Act during the 
year which calls attention to the more important features of the year’s 
administration. The form of the returns is prescribed by the Central 
Government under the Factories Act, and their submission is obliga- 
bory on factory owners. These returns do not make any distinction 
between perennial and seasonal factories. As conditions are very 
different in these two classes and their combination in one set of 
statistics gives a misleading impression of factory activity and the re- 
gulation of factory work, we recommend that all the statistical tables at 
present prepared be compiled and published separately in respect of 
perennial and seasonal factories. So far as we are in a position to judge, 
the factory statistics are reasonably accurate, but more attention should 
be devoted in some provinces to checking the figures supplied by factory 
dwners in respect of the average number of workers employed. We 
recommend that Government should examine the possibility of obtaining 
from the factory owner the total number of persons employed in his 
factory for not less than one month in a year. We are aware of the 
difficulties but we believe that in the perennial factories particularly the 
maintenance of some record of this type would be of advantage to 
employers in obtaining the facts relating to turnover. We further 
recommend that the Factories Act be amended so as to make it possible 
bo call for returns in respect of wages following the analogy of the Mines 
Act. These statistics are not usually published until the second year 
following the vear to which they relate. and other statistics are frequently