Report of the Royal Commission on Labour in India

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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 IV. - Hours in factories

Collection:: Economics Books

HOURS IN FACTORIES. 49 a smaller compass, and the unauthorised intervals cut down. If this can be achieved to any large extent, the problem reduces itself to one of ad- justing the total hours for the machinery. Here some evidence is afford- ed by past history. When the Factory Labour Commission of 1908 made its investigations, many textile mills were working from 13 to 15 hours a day with a single set of workers, and shortly before that this practice had been fairly general. There was ample evidence that loitering was asso- ciated with long hours, and the Commission considered that the operatives, by their leisurely mode of work, counteracted to a considerable extent the evil results which would naturally follow from excessive hours. In 1911 & statutory limit of 12 hours per day was introduced in textile mills. There'is no doubt that the general reduction of hours to this limit was profitable, and no one would now expect to gain by working operatives for 14 hours a day ; even at that time it was recognised by many as unprofitable. As we have already stated, the statutory 60 hour week dates from 1922, but a 10 hour day in cotton mills had been secured shortly before that date. Opinions differ regarding the effect of the second reduction and these opinions reflect differing experience. We do not doubt that a number of mills were able to secure creased efficiency from the operative to an extent which more than compensated them for the loss of working time, and that in others there was in certain processes a distinct fall in production. Indeed, it is not difficult to show that the production of the average cotton mill operative in British India fell immediately after the introduction of the 10 hour day (though not in proportion to the reduction of hours) and that in a few years it had risen to a higher figure than that Prevailing before the change. This, however, is not the same thing as proving that the Operatives’ efficiency, by itself, increased to such an extent that they gave more to the industry in 10 hours than they had Previously done in 12. There have been many factors at work, from unimportant ones like the substitution of adults for children to more important one such as expenditure on improved plant, machinery, cooling-systems, ete., and changes in types of cotton used and counts spun. We are pot, Prepared, therefore, to give any quantitative estimate of the results of the change, particularly as these results varie widely from centre to Centre. But there can be little doubt that, follow- ing the change, on the average the efficiency of the operatives has risen substantially, The change also had some effect In stimulating employers to secure increased efficiency in other directions, The Outlook. The last 25 years, then, have seen a great reduction in nomi- nal hours, accompanied by a growth in the efficiency of the opera- tives and of the mills, It does not, follow that the effect of the reduc- bion from 12 hours to 10 will be repeated if a further reduction is made. As hours are lessened, a point must be reached at which, even if the industry can maintain production by employing shifts, the operatives cannot face a further reduction of earning capacity. But the evidence shows that this stage has not been reached and that.

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