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.