NOTES AND COMMENTS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 23, 7 November 1938, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

HOURS OF WORKING WEEK. The French experience is instructive, points out. the “Yorkshire Observer” in discussing the decision of the French Premier, M. Daladier, to modify the 40-hour week. Whereas in 1930 less than 1 per cent of the workers had a. 40-liour week, in May, 1937, the figure had risen to 91.5 per cent, since when it had slowly declined, until in March last it stood at 79.5 per cent. Unfortunately, the change to the shorter working week has not resulted in more employment for according to the figures for the first quarter of this year there were only 81 per cent of the number in work that were employed in France in 1930, and the hours of work had dropped to 66.1 per cent of the total at the same period when the 48-hour week operated. In Britain there were 1,500,000 more persons employed at the beginning of this year than there were in 1930. Wages have also had their effect, for taking the index figure in France in 1930 at 100, the rate for miners in March last stood at 133, and for skilled workers generally the rate at the end of last year was 12-T. The cost of living rose .to 115, but the net effect of these changes, as M. Daladier pointed out, was to handicap French manufacturers in the international market. According to the most recent figures, the German working day averages 7.86 hours, that of Hungary 8.77 hours and in Japan it is as high as 9.97 hours. In Italy 50.7 per cent of the industrial population work from 40 to 45 hours a week, 20 per cent work from 45 to 48 hours-, and 7.7 per cent work for more than 48 hours a week. The policy adopted ill Britain of taking industry by industry and seeing how far the hours of work can be reduced by agreement between those most intimately concerned is the more practical. The experience of France should* encourage those concerned in the knowledge that more lasting results will follow than would be secured by resort bo more spectacular but less stable methods.