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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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter V. - Working conditions in factories

Collection:: Economics Books

Ne CHAPTER V, be out of all proportion to the benefit conferred on the workers. In 1926 the Government of India introduced another Bill in which it was proposed to prescribe that the temperature should not be injurious to health, and to vest local Governments with the power of prescribing temperature standards. This also met with adverse criticism, and the Government of India accordingly postponed a decision and has so far taken no action. Suggested Solution. We do not think that any satisfactory solution can be found which depends on the prescription of standards of temperature and their general enforcement irrespective of the circumstances of particular factories. There are factories where a substantial reduction is possible at a profit to the owner; there are others where the cost of even a trifling reduction might be ruinous. It seems legitimate and reasonable that in most cases regard should be had, not merely to the height of the temperature or of the cooling power (which is the better measure, as it takes account of air movement), but also to both the cost of the measures which can be adopted to improve conditions and the extent of the improvement likely to result from these measures. The aim should be to ensure that, when cooling power is de- ficient, reasonable measures of improvement shall not be neglected. We think that this can be secured by the following means. Where a Chief Inspector is of opinion that (1) the cooling power in a factory is so de- ficient as to cause serious discomfort or danger to the health of operatives, and (2) it can be appreciably increased by methods which do not involve an amount of expense which is unreasonable in the circumstances, he should be able to serve on the owner an order requiring the adoption of specified measures within a given time. Against such an order we would provide for an appeal to a tribunal of three appointed by the local Govern- ment, the intention being that the Chairman of the tribunal should be an impartial official and the other members representative of employers and employed with a knowledge of the industry. We think it is most un- likely that an experienced inspector would make any unreasonable demand. But an adequate safeguard should be found in the presence of a tribunal which would be able to decide if the order was reasonable, having regard to all the circumstances of the case. Humidification. We have been dealing above primarily with factories where the nature of the processes does not necessitate any modification of the natural atmosphere or climate. The case is different where the employer artificially alters the atmospheric conditions. Humidification is em- ployed in India in cotton textile factories and a few cigarette-making factories. In the latter, it does not appear to be carried to an extent which produces discomfort. Inthe former a high degree of humidity is necessary, and, in securing this, it is possible to cause acute discomfort to the operative. On the other hand, it is possible to raise the humidity and add to the comfort of the operative. The effect depends largely on the

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