OBSERVATIONS ON SIR VICTOR SASSOON’S MINUTE. 487

from Western ideals than with their similarity. At the same time,
while we have stressed in places the importance of the principle of gradual-
ness, we see no reason why India should not utilise the results of expe-
rience elsewhere instead of repeating all the experiments herself.

We must definitely contest the statements in the sentence
¢ Further my colleagues in their desire for statutory reforms have not
in my opinion sufficiently stressed the useful part played in this country
by the voluntary efforts of employers in the past : they have only resorted
to the encouragement of such endeavours.in the future where statutory
recommendations appear impossible of achievement”. The latter as-
sertion is inaccurate ; there are a number of recommendations addressed
to employers for action which could be secured by compulsion. As
regards the view expressed in the former part of the sentence, the report
shows in many places the extent to which we have been assisted by the
experiments of the more liberal employers, and, as we have stated,
“ many of our recommendations are no more than the advocacy on a
general scale of those ideas of individual employers which have proved
successful in application ”. We have recommended legislation only
where, in our view, a necessary reform could not be generally secured
by other means ; and we would acknowledge again the inspiration we
have received from © the voluntary efforts of employers in the past”,
What our colleague describes as “aspirations to the effect that the
recommendations will benefit the employer as well as labour ” spring
from our deep conviction of the truth of what we say,and from our
trust that, in addressing so many of our recommendations to employers
alone, we are acting in the manner best calculated to secure their adop-
bion. :

Our colleague also points out that “India is essentially a poor
country, and any attempt to bring her labour legislation up to the same
level as in Western countries, in effect as well as in intention, can only
be achieved by the institution of a large and expensive machinery for
inspection”. A careful reading of our Report will show that we have
made no legislative recommendations without giving considerable
thought to the question of administration and enforcement. Indeed,
many of our recommendations have been conditioned by the very matter
stressed by our colleague. By leaving untouched fields which could only
be covered at substantial expense, by combining duties and by utilising
existing officers to better advantage, our recommendations throughout
endeavour to keep administrative costs as low as possible. The quota-
tion which he gives a¥proving that we admit that « a large and expensive
machinery for inspection » will be necessary if our suggestions are carried

out is taken out of a passage where, so far from suggesting such machinery,
we are emphasising the importance of considering the cost of enforce-
ment before attempting to regulate wages in “ sweated industries.

On the suggestion that our Report should be followed by a
“ series of "ad hoc enquiries”, we would observe that it hasbeen our
policy throughout to make a thorough examination of the different
matters with which we had to deal and. wherever possible, to make