Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1850495947

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-233603

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: His Majesty's Stationery Off.

Year of publication:: 1931

Scope:: xviii, 580 S.; graph. Darst., Kt.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter VII. - Unregulated factories

Collection:: Economics Books

UNREGULATED FACTORIES. 85 continuously torn apart with the bare hands, the atmosphere becomes thickly impregnated with dust, and no attempt is made to ensure the workers a less vitiated atmosphere in which to work for what are often very long hours. In many cases no proper latrine accommodation is provided. Shellac Manufacture. The manufacture of shellac is carried on mainly in Bihar and Orissa and to a lesser extent in the Central Provinces. In the former province, when trade is normal, about 4,000 persons are employed in 127 factories, of which only 15 come under the Factories Act. In the latter province about 2,000 workers were employed during 1929 in 22 factories ; none of these comes under the Act because no power machinery is employed, although in the majority of cases there are more than 50 persons to each establishment. The manufacture of shellac is for the most part carried on in unsatisfactory buildings with leaking roofs and earth floors. Poor lighting and ventilation and an almost universal absence of any washing and sanitary arrangements are characteristic, although the bad smell created by the nature of the industry and the dirtiness of the manufacturing processes make these particularly necessary. The greatest deficiency, however, is to be found in the lack, both in and around the factory, of drainage for drawing off the water in which the lac has been washed. As a result of a recent investigation of these places undertaken by the Director of Public Health in the Central Provinces, it was reported that ‘ Washing pits, reservoirs and drains are not properly cleaned at regular intervals. The same water is used for washing over and over again for a week or more and is allowed to stagnate for a period before it is drained off. Due to putrefaction of all the animal refuse from the stick lac, along with myriads of crushed insects in this water, the stinking effluvia from washing basins and drains are disgusting. But the persons employed on washing have to stand knee-deep in this water in the pits and carry on the work for hours together.” The daily hours of work are normally not excessive, but no regular intervals for meals or weekly holidays are conceded, although admittedly this last evil is largely counteracted by irregular attendance and the seasonal nature of the work. Labour in Shellac Factories. Women workers form about 30 per cent of the labour force, and are employed on stripping, grinding and sieving, men being engaged in washing, melting and stretching. Inthe Central Provinces children under 12 years of age are employed on the lighter work of drying lac and twist- ing bags used in the melting process. In Bihar and Orissa boys, mostly at or about the statutory age under the Factories Act, are also employed on melting, Unfortunately in both cases these children, who form ten per cent; of the whole, are largely to be found inside the stove room, which in the opinion of the Director of Public Health of the Central Provinces, cannot but be harmful to them on account of the excessive heat. Even in the case of the adult melters and their assistants who work near the stoves. it is reported that °° great exhaustion is felt at the end of the

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