§ Mr. KELLYasked the Home Secretary the number of work places, the approximate number of persons employed, and the principal trades in which Saturday has been definitely abolished as a working day; and whether the weekly earn- 720W ings of the workers affected under the five-day system have been maintained at the same level as under the six-day system?
§ Sir V. HENDERSONI regret that no figures are available as to the number of works or persons employed. The reports of the factory inspectors show that the five-day week has been introduced in a number of factories in different industries either as a permanent arrangement or temporarily as a method of working short time, but there does not appear to be any industry in which it has been universally or even generally adopted. I have no information as to the last part of the question, but the fact that where the system is in operation the workers seem to be almost unanimously in favour of it may be taken to indicate that the weekly earnings have not been substantially affected.