§ 10. Mr. JOWETTasked the Under-Secretary for India whether, having regard to the fact that of the total number of factory managers in India, namely, about 2,430, some 2,000, or 78 per cent., are Indians, and all the ordinary factory operatives are Indians, he will take steps to secure the appointment of an adequate number of Indian factory inspectors who are acquainted with the conditions prevailing in Indian factories, and who, speaking the same language as the operatives, will be better able to obtain correct information, and may therefore be expected to perform their duties more efficiently than inspectors sent from the United Kingdom?
Mr. BAKERI am unable to verify the hon. Member's figures, but it is a fact that European managers and assistant-managers are employed in the larger factories. First-hand knowledge of the working of the Factory Acts in this country is also an important qualification for inspectors in India. There is no bar to the employment of Indians in such offices, but the responsibility for enforcing the Indian factory law rests with the local Governments, and the Secretary of State is not prepared to interfere with them in their selection of agents.