HOURS IN FACTORIES. 
53 
retention of a lower minimum age standard. Nor do they consider 
that the attainment by India of the standard laid down in Article II 
of the Convention should be dependent upon the establishment 
in the industrial areas of compulsory primary education. Moreover, 
in their opinion the amount of dislocation caused should not be 
great since they believe that it will be found that many children now 
employed in regulated factories will not leave their villages for the 
industrial areas till such work is available for them. The majority 
of the Commission fear that the result will be that some children 
may seek work in unregulated factories, replacing younger ones whose 
continued employment in such places will become illegal if our recom- 
mendations in a subsequent chapter are adopted, and that the hours 
in such places will continue for some time to be longer than those at 
present operative, or now proposed, in respect of regulated factories. 
The minority believe, however, that this will apply only in a limited 
number of cases and that it represents a temporary phase, pending the 
synchronising of the minimum age in both classes of establishment. 
Even if there were greater force in this argument than they believe 
to be the case, it would in their opinion be unreasonable to defer any 
longer the raising of the minimum age for employment of children 
in establishments coming under the Factories Act. Their recommenda- 
tion is made in the belief that it will be in the national interest for this 
age to be increased to 14 years and that the method suggested will 
achieve this end without undue economic dislocation to parents or 
mdustry. 
Intervals for Children. 
The question of intervals for children’s work is one of some 
difficulty. A 5 hours’ period of continuous work is open to obvious 
objection ; on the other hand, to insist on an interval would probably 
result in the adoption of split shifts, and might tend to keep children 
away from their homes for long periods. On the whole, having regard 
to the fact that much of the present work of children in the mills is 
of a quasi-intermittent character, and that our recommendations, if 
adopted, will lead to a 4} hour day for children in the majority of 
factories, we think it preferable that an interval should not be obligatory. 
At the same time we recommend that, whether the children are worked 
for 4} or 5 hours, all employers should arrange that at least one rest 
mterval is given. 
Young Persons. 
The question of constituting a separate class of young persons, 
intermediate between children and adults, has been considered on several 
previous occasions and has been rejected as impracticable. We agree 
that it is not reasonably practicable to constitute a young persons’ class 
whose hours would differ appreciably from those of adults ; but we think 
that in two respects the law should give further protection to adolescents. 
We recommend that persons between the ages of 15 and 16 years should not 
be employed as adultsin factories unless they are in possession of medical 
certificates certifving them as physically fit: for adult employment.