Major STANLEYasked on how many occasions during the ten years ending December, 1910, has organised short time been worked in the cotton-spinning and weaving industries, respectively, with the duration in weeks of each period, and the 236 approximate total weekly loss in wages to the workers in each period?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE (Mr. Buxton)In the cotton spinning trade in 1902 organised short time prevailed during twelve weeks in mills using American cotton and for one week in mills using Egyptian cotton. In 1903 the period of short time lasted fourteen weeks, and affected both American and Egyptian cotton. In 1904 the American mills were on short time for thirty-six weeks, and the Egyptian mills for four weeks. In 1908 the American mills were on short time for about seven weeks, and again in 1909–10 for a continuous period of thirty-eight weeks. Any estimate of the difference between the wages paid by the spinning mills affected by short time and the wages that would have been paid by the same mills working full time would not necessarily furnish a true measure of any real loss of wages due to the adoption of short time. In the weaving branch of the trade short time is not usually of an organised character.