UNREGULATED FACTORIES, 
103 
on one day of the week, to be specified beforehand by the provincial Gov- 
ernment. This day should ordinarily be the same for all factories in the 
same district, but the provincial Government might grant permission to 
letter factories to substitute another day where adequate cause was 
shown. 
Protection of Health. 
The second urgent need is the enforcement of what may be terms. 
ed the minimum standards necessary to ensure the health of the workers. 
This would include such matters as the necessary structural alterations or 
repairs to the building, the supply of adequate latrine accommodation, 
ventilation, lighting and drainage. The Act, in addition to requiring the 
observance of suitable standards in respect of these matters, might 
give power to the provincial Governments to apply welfare orders of a 
simple nature to particular classes or groups of industrial establishments. 
This would ordinarily be done only when the Government was satisfied 
from the report of the inspecting authority of the prevalence of certain 
conditions, which, although detrimental to the health of the workers, 
could not be remedied under the parent Act. There is no need to enlarge 
further on this matter here as it has been discussed in the chapter dealing 
with the working conditions in the factory. Suffice it to say that this 
is a power which we contemplate would be used moderately and 
only after careful examination of the facts and of the economic condition 
of the particular industries or establishments concerned. 
Inclusion of Smaller Factories. 
The proposals made above are designed for application in the 
first instance only to factories employing not less than 50 persons, but 
provincial Governments may be given power to extend any of the pro- 
visions of the Act to factories employing less than that number where 
in their opinion conditions Justify such action. We recommend that this 
be done forthwith in the case of offensive trades such as tanneries and 
shellac manufacture, irrespective of the number employed, in view of 
the fact that in such trades the smaller places, which sometimes 
predominate, are almost invariably the most insanitary. We also 
recommend similar action in the case of industries, classes of establish- 
ment or individual establishments where an appreciable number of young 
children are employed or where larger places have been broken up in order 
to escape regulation. Again, it might be necessary to include certain smaller 
factories in special cases in order to give proprietors of larger factories 
adequate protection against unfair competition. 
Further Advance atior Five Years. 
Before passing on to administrative matters arising out of our 
proposals, we desire again to emphasise that legislation of the sort re- 
commended is to be looked upon essentially as a first step. A starting 
age of ten years or a maximum working day of seven hours in the 
case of child workers is by no means satisfactory, or anything other 
than the first and very transitory halting place along the road of progress.