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Factory Legislation in India PDF

208 Pages·1923·42.652 MB·English
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FACTORY LEGISLATION IN INDIA By the same author I. Factory Labor in India A critical and analytical study in the rise, growth, conditions and problems of the factoiy workers in India. II. Hindustani Workers on the Pacific Coast A study in the social and economic conditions of the Hindustanees on the Pacific Coast, based on the report made by the author as special agent to the Department of Labor, United States Govern- ment. III. The Labor Movement in India A critical and analytical study in the working class movement in India with special reference to its origin, development, nature and significance. Copyright by Walter de Gruyter a Co., Berlin. Printed in Germany. FACTORY LEGISLATION IN INDIA By Rajani Kanta Das, M. Sc., Ph. D. Late Lecturer in Economics, New York University; Former Special Agent, United States Department of Labor. With an Introduction By John R. Commons, M. A., LL. D. Professor of Economics, University of Wisconsin; Former Member Industrial Commission of Wisconsin and United States Commission on Industrial Relations. 19 2 3 W A L T ER DE G R U Y T ER & Co. VORMALS G. J. GÖSCHEN'SCHE VERLAGSHANDLUNG - J. GUTTENTAG. VERLAGSBUCHHANDLUNG - GEORG REIMER - KARL J. TRÜBNER - VEIT & COMP. / / BERLIN and LEIPZIG / / TO MY MOTHER vii INTRODUCTION. By Dr. John R. Commons. Mr. Das came to the investigation of Indian factory legislation as a part of several years' investigation of the forces that make for national efficiency. Deeply impress- ed by the famine reports of 1900—01 and the abject poverty of the people of India, he devoted himself to the improvement of economic conditions by prolonged, study of the causes. Seeing that the majority of the people of India depended upon agriculture for a living, he came to America to prepare himself for the study of agricultural production. While' pursuing these studies at Ohio State University, the University of Missouri and the University of Wisconsin, it became clear to him that national pro- sperity depended more upon the industrial efficiency of the people than upon the natural resources of the country. The real cause of India's poverty was her industrial in- efficiency. The solution lay in becoming industrially efficient. This conclusion led Mr. Das to the1 study of the human element in the production system — the labor problem» This he followed at the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin, working betimes in American factories as an employee, and travelling extensively in England, France, and the United States, besides in India on a return visit. This unusually extensive preparation for the study of Indian factory legislation, has given to the book an un- usual value, not only as a study of a single country, but especially by way of the comparative legislation and actual factory practice which he has had always before him. It is difficult for a Westerner to appreciate and weigh all of the facts which Mr. Das has marshalled in this im- viii portant study of Indian industry, but certainly at no time in history is it more necessary to do so. For India is nearer to us than before, and the problems of the British Empire are becoming the problems of America. To the understanding of these economic, political and legislative problems this book is a valuable contribution. University of Wisconsin. John R. Commons. ix PREFACE. "Factory Legislation in India" is a study in the legis- lative institution relating to Indian factories with special reference to the social, political and economic forces which led to its origin and growth and influenced its nature and function. Originally, it constituted only a chapter of the treatise on factory labor in India in 1913 and was elabor- ated into the present treatise in 1916 as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin. Except for the addition of a chapter on the Factory Act of 1922 and for a few other minor additions and alterations, the present treatise is practically the same as the1 original dissertation of 1916. A summary of the first three legislations was published in the Modern Review, Calcutta, January, 1921. In presenting the treatise to the public, the author is conscious that it is far from being1 exhaustive. Some of the Indian documents, periodicals and newspapers, which could very profitably have been consulted, were not avail- able in this country. There was, however, full access to the most important sources of information on the' subject, namely, the British Parliamentary Papers and Debates, the Proceedings of the Indian Legislative Council and the Debates of the Legislative Assembly and of the Council of State of India, and a complete file of the London Times. Moreover, since the main object of the investigation was not so much the collection of the detailed information on the history of factory legislation as the analysis of the underlying forces, the author is satisfied that although a few ^details might have been added and some of the points elaborated, they would not have made any essential differ- ence in the fundamental character of the treatise. In conclusion, the author take's this opportunity to express his deep gratitute to Dr. John R. Commons, Pro- fessor of Economics, University of Wisconsin, who has, as his teacher, not only supervised the preparation of the treatise, but has also generously written an introduction to it. He is also indebted to Mr. Jay Bowman, Chicago, 111., and to Mrs. Victoria B. Turner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for reading the manuscript and offering valuable criticisms. He also takes this occasion to express his thanks to the Library of the University of Wisconsin and the Economics Division of the New York Public Library for assistance in locating and collecting some of the docu- ments consulted in the preparation of this volume. Nfew York, August 1, 1922. Rajani Kanta Das.

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