§ 3. Mr. JOHNSTONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now in a position to give any information bearing upon the question whether the British millowners at Shanghai have agreed to adopt the Regulations of the Child Labour Commission, whether or not these Regulations were adopted in the other factories in Shanghai?
§ Mr. McNEILLThe Regulations proposed by the Child Labour Commission have not been voluntarily adopted by any of the mills in the International Settlement at Shanghai pending enforcement by bye-law, but the Cotton Millowners' Association, including all British mills, have expressed approval of their main provisions. I am informed that since September, 1923, the British millowners in Shanghai have endeavoured to keep out boys under 10 years and girls under 12 years of age.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONHow did the Secretary of State come to have such erroneous information in his possession during the recent Debate upon the Chinese situation?
§ Mr. McNEILLI think that arose from a confusion in the accounts that came home between the attitude of the mill-owners and their action in voluntarily adopting the Regulations.