WORKING CONDITIONS IN FACTORIES, 65 
Water, 
The Factories Act requires a sufficient supply of suitable drink- 
ing water, and many employers realise the importance of providing a 
liberal amount of cool and pure water ; but standards in this respect vary 
considerably. Wherever possible, a piped supply should be made 
available with an adequate number of taps, but care should be taken to 
protect the pipes from heating by the sun or other agency. Where a piped 
supply cannot be secured, the water is best stored in large earthenware 
vessels at fixed places in the factory, where it can be distributed by water- 
men, but care should be taken to prevent contamination and the possible 
diffusion of disease. The provision of suitable washing facilities for all 
employees is very desirable, and here many factories are deficient. The 
workers who live in crowded areas have inadequate facilities for washing 
at their homes and bathing facilities would add to their comfort, health 
and efficiency. We recommend that for workers in dirty processes (e.g., 
tanneries) the provision of washing places and water should be made obli- 
ratory. 
Creches. 
Creches are not uncommon in factories employing women, and 
some we saw were admirably staffed and equipped ; others, if better than 
nothing, still left much to be desired ; yet others were both dirty and in- 
adequately furnished. In many of the factories employing women in 
substantial numbers, no creches have been provided, and this is particu- 
larly true of the Bengal jute mills, where caste feeling and the reluctance 
of women to leave their young children were stated by some witnesses 
to create serious difficulties. As a result of their absence, infants are 
taken into the mills and can be found lying on sacking, in bobbin boxes 
and other unsuitable places, exposed to the noise and danger of moving 
machinery and a dust-laden atmosphere, and no year passes without a 
certain number of serious and minor accidents, and sometimes even of 
deaths, occurring among such children. Tt is important that creches, 
when first opened, should be well-furnished and properly supervised. If 
suitable women are placed in charge, and short periods of absence from 
work ab necessary intervals are granted to the nursing mothers, we 
believe that gradually the initial prejudices and diffidence of the women 
could be overcome. Nor must it be thought that the introduction of a 
creche involves heavy expenditure. Experience in the textile industry 
of the Bombay Presidency has shown that the essential requirements of a 
good creche containing 20 cradles is a room of about 600 square feet with 
washing and latrine accommodation, supervised by a trained woman 
and an assistant ayah. This can be run on an initial outlay of Rs. 500 
and a recurring monthly expenditure of Rs. 150, an estimate which 
Includes the supply of milk, clean clothes, small medical necessities and 
salaries. A somewhat less ambitious scheme of a similar size can be 
carried out at a slightly lower initial cost and at a recurring expenditure 
of only Rs. 100 a month. Representatives of the Indian Jute Mills Associa- 
tion appearing before us showed sympathy with the idea and agreed to give 
it serious consideration. In the cotton mills of Bombay Presidency creches