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One of the Commissioners, the Rev. Mr. Wells, wishes the age to be thirteen (13) and not cleven (11) as above, and wishes the age of labour to be increased by one year every succeeding year, or as soon as possible, until child labour is entirely abolished.
This recommendation does not apply to children engaged in genuine domestic work, but it does apply to children employed in carrying paraphernalia in Chinese processions.
(3) That the hours of work for children do not exceed fifty-four (54) per week, that children be prohibited from working at any time more than five (5) hours consecutively, and that they be ensured one day's rest in every seven (7) days.
(4) That children be not employed between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. No question of overtime or night shifts should be allowed to override this ruling, and the rulings laid down in sub-section (8).
We think that half time work should be encouraged and that children should be educated during the other half time if possible. Even if children have not been working during the day they should not be employed between the hours of 7 pm, and 6 a.mn. The intermit tent sleep, which is the usual lot of workers on night shifts, is especially harmful to the physique of children.
One of the Commissioners, Mr. Chow Shou Son, is of the opinion that children over fourteen (14) should be permitted to work between the hours of 7 in. and 9 p.m. provided that they have done no work during the day.
(5) That for the reasons given in Section 5 (2) children be not employed
in glass factories.
(6) That for the reasons given in Section 5 (3) children be not employed
in engineering works on the work of boiler chipping.
One of the Commissioners, Mr. Chow Shou Son, thinks that boy! over fourteen (14) should be permitted to work at boiler chipping is their physical condition satisfies the Inspectors.
(7) That children be not employed in dangerous trades.
(8) That employers be compelled to provide accommodation, which can be used by workers during meal hours, and as a rest house for children taken to factories by their mothers; and further that they be compelled to provide suitable dressings and first aid appliances, which can be used in cases of accident, and to equip their factories with approve i sanitary conveniences.
(9) That Inspectors be appointed for all classes of child labour, as the regulations proposed are obviously dependent on a system of inspection. Our intention is to avoid introducing a series of factory regulations which will merely lead on the one hand to "squeeze," and on the other to Police Court prosecutions; and it is, therefore, essential that Inspectors should he persons of standing. Unless knowledge, tact and sympathy are employed in the work of inspection, the system of regulation may degenerate into a number of irritating prosecutions that will do little good, and that will tend to the estrangement of the various sections of the community. We are convince that the larger and inore reputable factory owners will do their best to make effective any suggestions which the Government may make; and the efforts of the Inspectors should be directed to co-operating with them in making the regulations known in the lesser factories. Only by educative co- operation can the best results be obtained from these proposals.
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We think that the ranks of the Inspectors should include Chinese representatives as well as British, women as well as men, and voluntary workers as well as Government servants. We do not propose to draw up the details of this organisation, as we are not sufficiently well in- formed of the work of the various Government Departments, and suggest therefore, that this is a matter with which the Government is more fitted to deal.
7. We feel that an explanation is needed of the serious responsibility that wo have taken upon ourselves in recommending for children, a scale of hours of labour considerably in excess of that of male adult workers in Europe. Our proposals are indeed a compromise between the present Laissez-faire" attitude, and the more drastic method of removing children immediately from the factories, Of these two extremes the former is unthinkable, and we are not prepared to recommend the latter without also recommending some extensive scheme of social reform. As the data necessary for such a scheme could only be obtained after a searching enquiry into industrial conditions as a whole and into the financial resources of the Colony, a more moderate proposal of regulation appears to be preferable as a temporary measure. It will be pointed out that although the proposals reduce the working hours of children by periods varying from 25% to 40% on the old levels, yet as children are paid by piece rates they will suffer a corresponding reduction in wages. It will also be stated that the children them- selves like the work, and that to reduce their hours of labour will cause unnecessary hardship in families dependent on their earnings. All these arguments can be paralleled from the history of the Factory Acts controversy in England in the forties of last century, and the reply is that the question is essentially moral and not only economic, A child is not a correct judge of its own welfare.
8. The feasibility of compulsory education has been examined, but owing to the difference of opinion on the question it has not been found possible to come to any toanimous conclusion. A memorandum on compulsory education was submitted by the Rev. H. R. Wells and at a meeting held on May 23rd the Director of Education stated the difficulties of carrying out these suggestions— such as those of providing accommodation, of registering children, and of arranging for the staffing and inspection of the schools. These difficulties are real, but at the same time the opinion may be hazarded that they are inherent in every scheme of compulsory education, and that as they have been overcome in other countries, they could, if the community had the will to do so, be overcome in Hongkong. Mr. Wells' memorandum and the statement of the Director of Education are printed in Appendix 2.
We do not agree with the frequently expressed opinion that an extension of educational facilities in Hongkong would be followed by a rush of people from the interior to take advantage of them. It is a common experience of countries that have adopted compulsory education that opposition may be expected from those for whose benefit the scheme is intended. There is no reason to suppose that the experience of Hongkong would be different, and on this ground the tendency would rather be towards an exodus of present inhabitants than to an influx of newcomers, and it would have the effect of stopping the immigration of child labourers which is very large.
One of the Commissioners Mr. Chow Shou Son however, does not share this view, as evidenced by the attached extracts from a Memorandum by him which forms Appendix 4.
In view of the fact that many children must earn their living by manual labour, it is suggested that steps he taken to provide an education for them suited to their special needs.
Such an education would comprise training in manual work in addition to at least a "primary education." The dignity of manual labour should be emphasized and the bearing of intellect on manual work explained.
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