§ Sir WALTER de FRECEasked the Minister of Labour if, for the information of the House in connection with the proposed legislation, he will furnish such information as he possesses respecting the attitude of the countries represented at the Washington Conference in regard to the adoption of the Forty-Eight-Hours Week Convention?
§ Mr. THOMAS SHAWOf the countries represented at the Washington Conference, four, namely, Czechslovakia, India, Greece and Rumania, have ratified the Hours Convention. Bulgaria, although not represented at the Conference, has also ratified the Convention.
The Governments of the following countries have recommended ratification of the Convention to their respective Legislatures:
I have no information as to when formal ratification in each case is likely to be communicated to the Secretary-General. In the case of the Netherlands, ratification, while approved by the Legislature, has been reserved to the Crown, the intention being that ratification would be proceeded with when it was certain that a certain number of States, the competition of which the Netherlands had to fear in the sphere of industry, would ratify the Convention. Belgium, Finland and Switzerland, while possessing eight-hour-day laws of varying scope, have indicated that they are not 465W yet prepared to ratify. I understand that the attitude of Belgium is that the Hours Convention should not be ratified before it has also been ratified by the great Powers which are competitors of Belgium in the world market. In the case of Finland, it is stated in Riksdag Paper No. 44 of 1921 that the Government note that Sweden and certain other important industrial States, their close competitors, have not ratified. The Paper goes on to say that the Convention was drawn up with reference more especially to conditions obtaining in the greater industrial countries, and certain of its provisions are not easily applicable to Finnish industry. The Government, therefore, do not feel justified in signifying their immediate acceptance. In Switzerland, the principle of the eight-hour day was carried out by Acts of the 27th June, 1919, and 6th March, 1920, which were accepted by the people at the referendum of the 31st October, 1920. The Federal Council considered it impossible to adapt the Acts to the Convention, and also considered it out of the question that the Swiss people would approve of the modification of the Acts before they had had time to appreciate their effects.
Argentina, Italy, Brazil, Netherlands, Chili, Spain. France, The Government of Cuba have informed the International Labour Office that it is not considered expedient to ratify because the most important national industry, the manufacture of raw sugar, which is more in the nature of a continuation of agricultural processes than of industry, in the narrow sense of the word, would have to be excluded from the field of its application. The Canadian Government has stated that the matter is one for the provincial Governments to deal with. British Columbia has passed an 8-hour day Act, which comes into force on 1st January, 1925. China, Persia and Siam are expressly excluded from the provisions of
466W
— Engineering, Engineers' Iron and Steel Founding. Electrical Engineering. Marine Engineering and Marine Boiler Making. Constructional Engineering. Total. Great Britain 93,209 2,482 9,025 2,801 107,517 North-Eastern Division.* 21,084 393 5,755 678 27,910 * Comprising the Counties of Durham, Lincoln (except the Bourn District), Northumberland (except Berwick District) and Yorkshire. The figures include not only mechanics, but all workpeople whose last employment was with firms engaged wholly or mainly in the trades mentioned. the Convention. I have no information as to the attitude of the remaining countries represented at Washington, namely:
Bolivia. Poland. Columbia. Portugal. Denmark. Salvador. Ecuador. Kingdom of Guatemala. Serbs, Haiti. Croats and Japan. Slovenes. Nicaragua. South Africa. Norway. Sweden. Panama. Uruguay. Paraguay. Venezuela. Peru.