APPENDIX I (CHAPTER IV.) THE NORMAL WEEK MEMORANDUM ON ACTUAL HOURS OF WORK IN IN 1906 the Board of Trade issued a Report on Earnings and Hours of Labour in (I.) Textile Trades [Cd. 4545] and (II.) Clothing Trades [Cd. 4844]. In Textile trades the legal hours for women and young persons are 55 hours per week. In Clothing trades the corresponding legal hours are 60 hours per week. The following figures are taken from the Clothing Trade Group, and they show the remarkable progress which has been made towards a reasonable working day apart from legislation. They also show the superiority of factory conditions over workshop conditions except in laundries. The Laundry returns alone show any close approximation to the legal maximum. In the Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories for the year 1913 [Cd. 7491], pp. 59-62 and 92-9 are devoted to the subject of hours of employment. The following are extracts from p. 60: "In the reports this year frequent mention is made of the fact that the actual hours of work are in different trades considerably below those permitted by the Acts. Mr. Rogers (S.W. Division) says: The hours of work in most trades are much below the maximum allowed . . . the average weekly total appears to be between 52 and 56 hours, and in the great majority of factories and workshops the hours on Saturday do not exceed 5 or 6. . . .' Mr. Verney (N.W. London): In many industries, e.g. printing and bookbinding, the hours of work are ordinarily from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M., and occasional extensions to the full legal period are regarded by the workpeople as overtime. In these industries work on Saturday is seldom continued after I P.M., even though it commences no earlier than 8 o'clock in the morning.' Mr. Wilson (Glasgow): Many textile factories now start at 8 o'clock, and manufacturers inform me that better time is kept, and that there is less wastage and better work with the shorter hours, while the decrease in output is fractional only, and in certain cases there is no reduction whatever. Occupiers in industries employing a preponderance of women are moving gradually towards a later start in the morning . . . there appears also to be a movement among laundry occupiers towards shorter hours.' "But the most remarkable instance of a reduction of hours comes from Dunfermline, where an 8 hours day has been established in all the linen-weaving sheds (employing between 4000 and 5000 workers, chiefly women)." The lady inspectors' reports are on the same lines. At p. 93 Miss Squire reports: "In 1913 a desire to reduce the normal working hours has been manifested by the employers and managers, who having themselves noted the effect of the strain upon the workers, condemn from a business as well as a humane standpoint employment to the full legal limit. . . . One of the laundry trade journals has given prominence to the subject of 'Fatigue and Efficiency,' and the statement that the hours worked in the laundry industry are far too long' which appeared in one issue has been followed by comments and suggestions which show how great an advance has been made in the trade since 1895, when the first tentative limitation of hours by law in the laundries was condemned as sounding the doom of the industry. The same tendency has been shown in the last twelve months in several other trades which have hitherto availed themselves of the full limit allowed by law, including a most interesting effort at combined action in this direction in the biscuit trade.' APPENDIX II (CHAPTER VII.) THE TRADE BOARDS ACT (a) EXTRACT FROM A DETERMINATION FIXING MINIMUM RATES of WAGES FOR CERTAIN BRANCHES OF THE RETAIL BESPOKE TAILORING TRADE IN GREAT BRITAIN WHICH ARE ENGAGED IN MAKING GARMENTS TO BE WORN BY MALE PERSONS LEARNERS (2) (a) In lieu of the above rates female "learners" (as hereinafter defined) shall, subject to the provisions of this Section, receive the following minimum or lowest timerates clear of all deductions, that is to say: (b) The minimum or lowest time-rate for learners under 14 years of age shall be 3s. a week. Such learners shall afterwards be entitled to the amounts shown above, all employment prior to the age of 14 being disregarded. (c) The learners' rates are weekly rates based on a week of 50 hours, but they shall be subject to a proportionate deduction or increase according as the number of hours actually spent by the learner in the factory or workshop in any week is less or more than 50. (d) The advances to be given to learners shall be paid on the first pay-days in January and July, the learner being entitled to her first advance on the first of such pay-days following her entry into the trade provided that she has been in the trade at least three months. (e) A learner shall cease to be a learner and be entitled to the full minimum time-rate for a worker, applicable to her under Section (1) upon the fulfilment of the following conditions: Age of entering upon Employment. Under 15 years of age. Conditions. The completion of not less than 3 years' employment and the attainment of the age of 18 years. The completion of not less than 2 years' 15 and under 16 years employment and the attainment of the age of of age. 16 and under 21 years of age. 21 years of age and over. 18 years. The completion of 2 years' employment. The completion of one year's employment. (f) No female learner shall be held to be entitled to the full minimum rate under Section (1) until she has attained the age of 18 years notwithstanding any employment she may have had. Provided that in determining the age of entry and the length of employment, all service prior to the age of 14 shall be disregarded. (g) Any female who has been previously employed in any branch of the tailoring trade and has not been registered nor held a certificate and is subsequently taken on as a learner shall count the whole period of such previous employment for the purpose of claiming the time-rate at which she is to be paid. A female learner is a worker who (3) (a) Is employed during the whole or a substantial part of her time in learning any branch or process of the trade by an employer who provides the learner with reasonable facilities for such learning, and |