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CHAPTER VIII.

will live near their collieries and work regularly would ultimately prove
a disadvantage, we do not think that the present is the best time for a
definite step in this direction. On all grounds, therefore. we endorse the
recommendation of the Select Committee.
A Minority View.

Mr Cliff, Mr Joshi and Diwan Chaman Lall dissent from our
view and state that under the existing Statute a mine may open for
bwenty-four hours on each of the six working days. The statute permits
daily shifts of twelve hours, but requires that the maximum weekly
hours shall not exceed fifty-four for underground workers and sixty
in the case of surface workers. The Chief Inspector of Mines admits
that the checking of the number of hours worked by individual workers
is difficult. In his view, this arrangement of hours, together with the
number of adits at some collieries, lends itself to evasion and makes
enforcement difficult, if not impracticable. It appears from the report
of the Select Committee that, when the question of the limitation of daily
hours was being discussed, one of the main considerations which led to
the decision that it would be unwise to recommend a lower daily limit
than 12 hours was the fear that the workers would be unable to majnbain
 the current level of earnings. Some of the larger collieries are
already working eight hour shifts, and other collieries are working ten
hour shifts. It is significant that at such collieries the attendance and
the level of earnings tend to be higher than prevail at collieries working
longer hours and it is not suggested that earnings at such collieries are
below the general level. In no other country is a twelve hour shift
permissible, though the weekly limit in two countries is higher. They
incline to the opinion that, from the standpoint of the coal industry,
a reduction of the existing level of hours would be a paying proposition
and hold that, from all points of view, it would be in the best interests
of the worker. They therefore recommend that the present daily limit
be reduced to eicht hours

Action in the Meantime.

In the meantime, we have two further recommendations to
make. The weekly hours of work above ground should be reduced
bo 54, the limit suggested in the case of perennial factories. The
enforcement of this limit should not give any serious difficulty. At
present the irregular worker does not work up to his limit, and 54
hours is a long enough week for those who acquire regular habits of
work. We also recommend that employers should make experiments
 during the period available to them before the further reduction
 of the daily limit is made. In particular, we should like to see the
possibilities of 10 and 9 hour shifts explored, as well as the more usual
8 hour shift. The 10 hour shift isalready in operation in more than
one mine and it may well prove a useful halfway step, if the interval
between shifts is properly utilised in clearing the output of the earlier
and preparing facilities for the later shift