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CHAPTER IV,
Unfortunately these figures throw little light on the position in perennial

factories as they include the seasonal factories also, which constitute

about half the total number. For the most part, the latter work both

men and women for long hours, but the tes, factories, which ordinarily

work very short weekly hours, form an important exception. We believe
that, if seasonal factories were excluded, factories in which normal hours
were not above 54 would constitute substantially more than half the
total. But a better view of the position can be obtained by examin-
ing in turn the more important industries, and here we have been fur-
nished with a large mass of evidence.

Cotton Textile Factories.
The cotton textile mills ordinarily work a 60 hour week.
Here the majority of the operatives are worked for 6 days of 10 hours
each. In a number of the Bombay mills, and in a few mills elsewhere,
women arrive later and leave earlier, and particular classes of operatives
have shorter hours. A single shift is the general rule, but a few fac-
tories have worked on a shift system for some time and in the last
bwo years a night shift, generally very limited in numbers, has been
introduced in several mills. In a few cases the night shift works for
only 9 hours, but mills which have adopted two or more shifts have
adhered as a rule to the 10 hour standard. No overtime is worked.
Jute Mills.
In the jute mills of Bengal hours of work have been regulated

for many years by the Indian Jute Mills Association, which includes
nearly all the employers. Since the end of the war, the mills in the
membership of the Association, to meet, the requirements of trade, have

not worked more than an average of five days per week, except for nine

months in 1920 and the twelve months ended 30th June 1930. With

the exception of the latter period, the associated mills since April 1921

have been working 54 hours per week and since July 1930 for only three

weeks out of every four. When working 54 hours, single shift mills run

five days, but mills working under the multiple shift system (a rapidly
diminishing number) run four days of 13% hours, thereby limiting

the hours of individual operatives to 44 weekly. Even during the last
year’s spell of 60 hour working, the hours of operatives in the multiple
shift mills, which worked four days and five days in alternate weeks,
were limited to 44 hours in one week of the fortnight and 55 in the
other. In view of the fact that jute mills generally have had only twelve
months’ experience of more than 54 hous working during the past ten
years, it is interesting to note that the Indian Jute Mills Association
observe :—

“ The restriction under the Factories Act to a sixty hour week
has, undoubtedly, been very beneficial to labour. Workers
have more leisure, especially at week-ends, and general
efficiency has been considerably increased. The restriction
has had little or no effect on the jute industry, the increase
in the efficiency of the workers making up for the restriction
in working hours.”