§ 38. Sir FRANK NELSONasked the Minister of Labour if he is in a position to state the hours of labour worked in the cotton mills of Japan as compared with those in the cotton mills of India?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDAs the answer is of considerable length, I propose, with my hon. Friend's consent, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ The following is the answer:
§ In Japan, the legal maximum working hours under the Japanese Factory Act are fixed at 12 daily, including one compulsory rest hour, for women and young persons. An Amending Act of 1923 provided for the reduction of this maximum to 11 hours, including one compulsory rest hour, but this amendment has not yet been put into operation. According to statistics supplied by the Japan Cotton Spinners' Association, and published by the International Federation of Master Cotton Spinners' and Manufacturers' Associations, which are the latest figures in my possession, the actual working hours in cotton mills in Japan, in the year 1924, averaged 9¼ per shift, two shifts being worked by the mills per day. In India, the legal maxima are 60 hours a week and 11 hours a day for adults, and six hours a day for children. The hours of labour actually worked in the mills in the Bombay Presidency in August, 1923 (the latest date for which statistics are available) averaged 10 and one-twelfth for men, nine and three-fifths for women and five for children.