§ MR. WARDLE (Stockport)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, seeing railway clerks are being worked excessive hours, amounting in some cases to sixteen hours per day, especially in Ireland, he will consider the advisability of extending the Hours Act so as to include these men.
§ MR. KEARLEYThe power of regulating the hours of labour of certain classes of railway servants conferred by the Act of 1893 was mainly based on the interests of public safety. The Board of Trade are not at present prepared to propose the extension of the Act to classes of employees like clerks who cannot be distinguished from employees of private firms whose hours are unregulated by law.