WORKING CONDITIONS IN FACTORIES. 59

system of humidification employed, and here there has been an encour:
aging improvement in recent years. Some of the cotton mills which
we visited are, in the hot weather, much pleasanter than the outside
atmosphere and we understand that those employers who have spent large
sums in installing the best cooling and humidifying plants have had
gratifying results in production. This improvement has followed, and 18
to some extent traceable to, the investigation conducted for the Government
 of India by Mr Maloney. The main object of the enquiry was to
devise a reasonable method of controlling the use of humidification, and
Mr Maloney suggested a basis, which is being gradually, if slowly, adopted.
 We received no serious criticism of the solution suggested in the
report, and we consider that rigorous action should be taken against
those factories where conditions are worst. Side by side with the advanced
 mills, there are others where the atmosphere in the weaving sheds
is almost unendurable, even in the cold weather. There is no justification,
 except possibly defects in the law, for permitting the continuance of
the conditions that prevail in the worst sheds. It was suggested to us
in Bombay that the provisions of the Factories Act are not sufficiently
elastic to permit of the framing of all the rules that are desirable. This
point deserves attention. In particular we note that section 9 appears to
contemplate only the prevention of practices definitely injurious to
health ; it should also protect the operative from serious discomfort. even
where injury to health is not a necessary result.
II. SAFETY.
Reporting of Accidents.
The following table gives the results of the reported accidents in
all factories subject to the Factories Act since the definition of “ factory’
was widened in 19292.

No. of persons injured.

Year.

Fatal.

Serious.

Minor.

1922

191
197
284

1.207

5.562

1923
1924
1925
1996

1,333
1.680

5,007

8.055

263
270

2,181
2155

9,901

11.441

1927 242
1928 | 9264 | 3.494 |
lo29 . = 240

12.066

12.590

15.579

Total.

6.960

7.037
10,029 !
12,645
14.866
15,711
16,348
20.908

No. of persons injured per 100,000
emnloyees,

Fatal.

Serious.

Minor.

Total.

14

80 | 409
91' 301
118 ' 565
166 662
908 | 753
922
230 |

"a2
499
703
846
979
1,025
1,075
1.301

17"
20!

18

~g

1

7
ro

083 |

1.003

The table brings out the fact that the proportion . accidents to operatives
which, prior to 1922. had shown only small fluctuations for a generation,