13 
CHAPTER IV, 
Unfortunately these figures throw little light on the position in perennial 
factories as they include the seasonal factories also, which constitute 
about half the total number. For the most part, the latter work both 
men and women for long hours, but the tes, factories, which ordinarily 
work very short weekly hours, form an important exception. We believe 
that, if seasonal factories were excluded, factories in which normal hours 
were not above 54 would constitute substantially more than half the 
total. But a better view of the position can be obtained by examin- 
ing in turn the more important industries, and here we have been fur- 
nished with a large mass of evidence. 
Cotton Textile Factories. 
The cotton textile mills ordinarily work a 60 hour week. 
Here the majority of the operatives are worked for 6 days of 10 hours 
each. In a number of the Bombay mills, and in a few mills elsewhere, 
women arrive later and leave earlier, and particular classes of operatives 
have shorter hours. A single shift is the general rule, but a few fac- 
tories have worked on a shift system for some time and in the last 
bwo years a night shift, generally very limited in numbers, has been 
introduced in several mills. In a few cases the night shift works for 
only 9 hours, but mills which have adopted two or more shifts have 
adhered as a rule to the 10 hour standard. No overtime is worked. 
Jute Mills. 
In the jute mills of Bengal hours of work have been regulated 
for many years by the Indian Jute Mills Association, which includes 
nearly all the employers. Since the end of the war, the mills in the 
membership of the Association, to meet, the requirements of trade, have 
not worked more than an average of five days per week, except for nine 
months in 1920 and the twelve months ended 30th June 1930. With 
the exception of the latter period, the associated mills since April 1921 
have been working 54 hours per week and since July 1930 for only three 
weeks out of every four. When working 54 hours, single shift mills run 
five days, but mills working under the multiple shift system (a rapidly 
diminishing number) run four days of 13% hours, thereby limiting 
the hours of individual operatives to 44 weekly. Even during the last 
year’s spell of 60 hour working, the hours of operatives in the multiple 
shift mills, which worked four days and five days in alternate weeks, 
were limited to 44 hours in one week of the fortnight and 55 in the 
other. In view of the fact that jute mills generally have had only twelve 
months’ experience of more than 54 hous working during the past ten 
years, it is interesting to note that the Indian Jute Mills Association 
observe :— 
“ The restriction under the Factories Act to a sixty hour week 
has, undoubtedly, been very beneficial to labour. Workers 
have more leisure, especially at week-ends, and general 
efficiency has been considerably increased. The restriction 
has had little or no effect on the jute industry, the increase 
in the efficiency of the workers making up for the restriction 
in working hours.”