PUBLIC WORKS.

191

number employed was about 45,000, of whom not less than 2,000 were
skilled workers. On the Roads and Buildings side the Government
s also a very large employer of labour. Tt is responsible for the maintenance
 of all trunk roads and a great number of official buildings of all
sizes. The biggest task undertaken in this connection in recent years has
been the creation of the new capital at Delhi, which began before the war
and is now practically completed. The numbers employed here fluctuat-2d
 from 4,000 to over 20,000, the greater part of the labour employed being
from Rajputana, Central India and the Bombay Presidency. Here, as in
other constructional works, a number of women were employed and
~hild labour was not unknown.

Employment of Contractors.

To a large extent, the building and construction works underbaken
 by Government are entrusted to contractors, the Public Works
Department exercising a general supervision over their execution. At
Sukkur over 909%, of the workers employed on the Lloyd Barrage and
Canals scheme are employed by contractors and in New Delhi the position
was very similar. It is fairly generally assumed that, from the point of
view of Government, employment through contractors is the only satis-‘actory
 method. The objections urged against direct employment are the
absence of adequate departmental arrangements for the control of substantial
 labour forces, the additional cost and the difficulty that confronts
aovernment in making advances, with their attendant risk of loss, to
secure labour from a distance. So far as the control of labour is concerned,
here is no technical difficulty in making departmental arrangements if
necessary, but it would inevitably entail extra staff. With the passing
»f the Workmen’s Breach of Contract Act, the power of contractors to
retain unwilling labour has gone, and both Government and contractors
must depend on making conditions attractive. As we show later, the
lifficulty regarding advances can be surmounted. Thus the question of
lepartmental employment, so far as Government are concerned, reduces
itself to one of costs, and most engineers appear to be convinced that, so far
as these are concerned, employment through contractors is distinctly
advantaseons

Fair Waceq.

On this view we would remark that there is another question
besides that of cost to he considered, and we think that this should receive
morc attention. Weare far from satisfied that labour receives reasonable
ireatment from all public works contractors. The Chief Engineer of the
Lloyd Barrage and Canals Construction stated that conditions of labour
would be decidedly improved if it were employed departmentally, and we
helieve that, if contractors were in all cases required to give fair treatment
n respect of wages, housing, sanitation and other services, there would be
an enhancement in the cost of the work. This is an enhancement which,
1 necessary, Government must be prepared to face. So far as wages are
*oncerned, no control is exercised at present, and the supervision of con-Tactors
 is limited to the settlement of disputes regarding payment. We