§ Mr. SWANasked the Secretary of State for India what are at present the working hours per day and the average rate of wages of the operatives in the textile mills of Bombay?
§ Mr. MONTAGUUnder the Indian Factories Act of 1911 the maximum time in any one day for which a person may be 1861W employed in a textile factory is twelve hours. For women the maximum time is eleven hours and for children six. In no textile factory may mechanical or electrical power be in use for more than twelve hours in the day, and after an interval of six hours: all work is discontinued for not less than half an hour.
A statement of wages current in a representative Bombay cotton mill in 1917 will be published in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Since then wages have risen considerably, but the Secretary of State is without de-tailed information.
The following is the statement referred to:
Average monthy wages (in rupees) paid at the Manockjee Petit (Cotton) Mills, Bombay, in January, 1917:
Card-room. Scutcher … 12.5 Grinder … 15.5 Lap carrier … 12 Card tender … 11.25 Fly carrier … 8.5 Sweeper … 8 Drawer … 14 to 18 Slubber … 15 to 20 Intermediate … 14 to 19 Rover … 15 to 20 Spare hand … 12.5 Doffer … 10.25 Ring Throstle-room. Side minder … 14.5 to 15.5 Doffer … 10.25 Doff carrier … 13 Reeling-room. Reeler … 10 to 11 Bundling-room. Tresser … 19 Dresser … 15 Sizing Department. Winder … 8 to 17 Drawer … 20 to 30 Warper … 25 to 36 Sizer … 35 to 50 Back sizer … 17 to 25 Heald knitter … 20 Reacher … 10 to 15 Weaving Department. Weaver … 15 to 55 Jobber … 45 to 72 Folder and bundler … 13 to 16 NOTE. —The great variation in the wages of a weaver in weaving department is on account of the different rates for the outturn of various sorts and qualities of cloth.