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CHAPTER VIII. 
will live near their collieries and work regularly would ultimately prove 
a disadvantage, we do not think that the present is the best time for a 
definite step in this direction. On all grounds, therefore. we endorse the 
recommendation of the Select Committee. 
A Minority View. 
Mr Cliff, Mr Joshi and Diwan Chaman Lall dissent from our 
view and state that under the existing Statute a mine may open for 
bwenty-four hours on each of the six working days. The statute permits 
daily shifts of twelve hours, but requires that the maximum weekly 
hours shall not exceed fifty-four for underground workers and sixty 
in the case of surface workers. The Chief Inspector of Mines admits 
that the checking of the number of hours worked by individual workers 
is difficult. In his view, this arrangement of hours, together with the 
number of adits at some collieries, lends itself to evasion and makes 
enforcement difficult, if not impracticable. It appears from the report 
of the Select Committee that, when the question of the limitation of daily 
hours was being discussed, one of the main considerations which led to 
the decision that it would be unwise to recommend a lower daily limit 
than 12 hours was the fear that the workers would be unable to majn- 
bain the current level of earnings. Some of the larger collieries are 
already working eight hour shifts, and other collieries are working ten 
hour shifts. It is significant that at such collieries the attendance and 
the level of earnings tend to be higher than prevail at collieries working 
longer hours and it is not suggested that earnings at such collieries are 
below the general level. In no other country is a twelve hour shift 
permissible, though the weekly limit in two countries is higher. They 
incline to the opinion that, from the standpoint of the coal industry, 
a reduction of the existing level of hours would be a paying proposition 
and hold that, from all points of view, it would be in the best interests 
of the worker. They therefore recommend that the present daily limit 
be reduced to eicht hours 
Action in the Meantime. 
In the meantime, we have two further recommendations to 
make. The weekly hours of work above ground should be reduced 
bo 54, the limit suggested in the case of perennial factories. The 
enforcement of this limit should not give any serious difficulty. At 
present the irregular worker does not work up to his limit, and 54 
hours is a long enough week for those who acquire regular habits of 
work. We also recommend that employers should make experi- 
ments during the period available to them before the further reduc- 
tion of the daily limit is made. In particular, we should like to see the 
possibilities of 10 and 9 hour shifts explored, as well as the more usual 
8 hour shift. The 10 hour shift isalready in operation in more than 
one mine and it may well prove a useful halfway step, if the interval 
between shifts is properly utilised in clearing the output of the earlier 
and preparing facilities for the later shift