majority of the returns for the Ahmedabad mills were filled up. During
the 1923 Enquiry, however, all the Ahmedabad mills were specifically
instructed to submit information for two kaptas containing the greatest
number of days in August. It was necessary to allow each individual mill
to select its own haptas because the hapta does not begin or end on fixed
days in all mills in Ahmedabad nor are the number of days in a hapta
uniform, except in the case of Weavers and generally for Spinners and
Tenters, for all categories of workers. The manner in which the difficul-
ties connected with the hapte system should be overcome were not dealt
with in the preliminary letter addressed by the Labour Office to the
Ahmedabad Millowners’ Association, but it was suggested that this
matter should be discussed personally between the Director and the
Committee of the Association after considering the proposals with regard
to the manner in which the Enquiry should be held.
9. The Ahmedabad Millowners’ Association invited the Director to
meet their Committee on the 5th July 1926. The Committee accepted
the principle of holding the Enquiry on the basis of the Muster-roll.
With regard to the difficulties in connexion with the hapta system it was
agreed that those mills which were to be finally selected should send
muster rolls, copied out in English, for the three haptas covering the
salendar month of May, to the Labour Investigator at Ahmedabad who
would utilise the figures for two haptas after determining the manner in
which the data should be used. The forms drawn up for the Bombay
mills were adapted to the different conditions prevailing in Ahmedabad.
For example, in the case of weavers, payment in the Ahmedabad mills is
affected by the piece and not by weight as in the case of the Bombay
mills because in Ahmedabad cloths more size is generally used than in
Bombay. No particulars were therefore asked for in the Ahmedabad
forms for weight and the rates called for were per piece (standard length
and breadth) and not per pound. As the Ahmedabad Millowners’
Association agreed to furnish information for warp and weft counts and
for picks to the inch in respect of the different varieties of cloth produced
in the Ahmedabad mills during the period to be covered by the Census,
special columns were provided for the information under these heads.
Again, weavers in Ahmedabad do not pay their own badlis as they do in
Bombay, and the mills maintain separate particulars with regard to
single weaving substitutes. It was possible for the Ahmedabad mills,
therefore, to give separate figures for regular workers and badlis. The
form for All Mill Operatives (excluding Weavers) used for the Bombay
Mills was separated into two forms for the Ahmedabad mills: (1) for
All Piece Workers (excluding Weavers), and (2) for All Time Workers.
The two latter forms were modelled on the same lines as the general form
for Bombay but special provision had to be made for the figures in conne-
rion with the wage cut of 15-625 per cent. effected in the year 1923.
The wording of the heading of this column was “Amount due after
increasing (war bonus) per cent. and decreasing per cent 7,
10. The Committee of the Ahmedabad Millowners’ Association also
agreed to the Enquiry being conducted on the principle of sampling.
Tt was decided that representative mills employing about thirty per