ON women's labour. 298 



a general body of denial I found only the following exceptions : the case 

 of the woolcombers in the Keighley district, already mentioned ; in a 

 Leeds factory it was said that overtime was necessary in pattern-weaving, 

 and hence a very few women perhaps lost work ; a prominent member of 

 the Leeds Chamber of Commerce alleged that there were many such oases, 

 but failed to produce details ; at Hebden Bridge, in a mill where weaving 

 and the making up of ready-made clothing were carried on in the same 

 building, men weavers were taken in order that they might woi'k the 

 same hours as in the clothing department, but this was a very unusual 

 difficulty. 



The fact seems to be that the whole industry of the West Riding is 

 accommodated to the laws, and that there is in nearly all districts an 

 equilibrium between the demand for labour of both sexes and all ages and 

 the etf'ective supply ; that men could not be obtained for the women's work 

 (at any practicable wage), even if they could do it ; and that all efficient 

 women can get work in their respective industries when they are moderately 

 busy. 



It is an important but very difficult problem to decide what hours 

 would now be worked in the factories if there were no Acts. The following 

 instances go to show that the hours would be longer : the cases above 

 given where the women stop, but their work is carried on ; the attempt 

 of the women to put in extra work at meal times ; the frequent cases of 

 overtime worked by men in various parts of the factories ; twelve factories 

 in the Batley district where the men still work the old fifty -nine .or sixty 

 hours ; the longer hours said to be worked by non-regulated home workers. 

 On the other hand we have the following instances of the working of 

 shorter hours than the legal minimum. In the Leeds boot trade and 

 in the wholesale clothing trade men and women only work fifty-four 

 hours or less, though in the latter legal overtime brought up the 

 average to fifty-six hours in 1891.^ In 1872 one hour was taken off in 

 Bradford woolcombing without legislation, and a fifty-nine hours' week 

 was common in many places before 1874, while sixty hours were still 

 legal ; full work was often not done between noon and one o'clock on 

 Saturday before the recent legislation. Hours in general in men's trades 

 are fifty-four or less without legislation, though overtime is not uncommon. 

 Employers and workers often admit that overtime, where allowed, is not 

 economical, and that 56)? hours is as long as women can work efficiently. 

 Employees are very anxious to get off in the evening ; the rearrangement 

 in 1874 intended to make work begin half an hour later has been generally 

 used to stop work half an hour earlier. 



Without the Acts it seems certain that less uniformity would have 

 been obtained, and that in many cases excessive hours would now be 

 worked ; and it is not easy to instance any occupation where the hours 

 would probably have been shorter. 



Various opinions wei'e held on the questions whether the Acts were a 

 serious hindrnnce to employers in any respects, and whether they had any 

 effiect in making trade more regular, or in equalising employment through 

 a district. In the specially seasonal branches of the textile industries 

 the absence of elasticity is sometimes felt, and some manufacturers wish 

 for regulated overtime, as allowed in the wholesale clothing trade. A silk 

 manufacturer near Bradford stated that his weavers could only average 



' Factory Inspectofs Ilej)ort, 1891. 



