§ 41. Mr. W. THORNEasked the Minister of Labour whether the Government has made any agreement with the Governments of France, Germany, Belgium and Italy with regard to the interpretation of the Washington Hours Convention; if he is aware that statements were made at Geneva last week to the effect that the five Powers should communicate to each other a list of industries in which it was necessary to work a 56-hour week, and that ratification should depend on an agreement about the list; and if he is aware that Article 4 of the Convention provides that up to 56 hours may be worked in those processes which are required by reason of the nature of the process to be carried on continuously by a succession of shifts?
§ Mr. BETTERTONThe conclusions of the conference held in London in March, 1926, with representatives of the Governments named in the question, have been published in the "Ministry of Labour Gazette." It was also arranged that the Governments should be asked to communicate to each other lists of the processes which they considered would fall under Article 4 of the Washington Convention, which is summarised correctly in the last part of the question. The preparation of the lists, which necessarily would take some time, could not be completed at the conference and the arrangement as to their future circulation was 1170 not embodied in the published conclusions.