Aug.
To-day will be found the last lor the series of three articles summarising the results of the scientific investigations carried lout by Dr. Chen Ta during the last three months into industrial conditions in Shanghai. Dr. [Chen Ta is one of the foremost [Chinese economists of the da lis independence of view and his scientific equipment "give special Jauthority to his findings. He has been for many years an acknowledged expert on labour problems and Shanghai is fortunate in iboing able to benefit from the public spirit which actuated him lin undertaking this arduous task. it is pleasant to note that he has been able to secure the cooperation of foreign and Chinese employers. in making enquiries the sworing of which must, to many of them, have involved tot " lit-He time and, possibly, some di turbance of mind. There is no need at this stage to discuss the principle of the factory legisla~ tion which the Chinese Govern-iment have decided to put on the! statute book. In brief, it may be recalled that this legislation has coen described as a moral gesture which cannot be put into practieal effect except in the most gradual form, It is satisfactory to note from recent telegrams that the Department of Industries at! Nanking fully recognise this and prudent reservations could do a great deal to prevent the Act from becoming a dead letter.
As the chief industrial centre lof China, Shanghai is particularly interested in this Act and the [Municipal Council of the International Settlement last _week lerdorsed the principle underlying the measure. The endorsement Iwas, however, accompanied the natural reservation that time must lapse before industry could lative at the standards laid [éown. The recommendations the Ministry of Industries have already been published and they encourage protests against a hard and fast application of rules Which could not be satisfactorily worked at this stage. It is, for this reason that Dr. Chen Ta's asearch is of such great importance, and the courage with which Ike has revealed the conditions and methods which make strict apication of the Act impossible at present is to be commended. He] makes definite and concrete suglgcstions regarding the scope of Ithe action to be taken and in 80 idoing he sets an example to other formers whose vagueness of atement has been equalled only} the impracticability of their The Settlement auindeed, are confronted much difficulty in their at tempt to conform to the stan lards laid down, because of this very vagueness of the Act itself and also some of the regulations land it is doubtful even now when ther the reservations made at] this eleventh hour will completely' remove that difficulty. The Feetham Report shows that the shanghai Municipal Council must] Igo to the Courts eventually. for {the enforcement of by-laws which it adopts and any part of Chinese law declare applicable to the [Settlament. The Council, therefore, would be stultifying itself lif it gave countenance to a lay which stretched precept beyond the bounds of practical applica Therein lies the value of Dr. Chen 'a's suggestion that the Chinese Government—should clearly outline by departmental orders those parts of the Act which are seriously to be enforced to the letter of the law. Tt would also be well if th reservations now made by Na King could be extended into definite the Act which are not, possible of immediate application. 'The Council would then find itself a much easier position for enforcement of greatly needed reforms. Otherwise, with a vague Act as its only' guide, the Council would have to consider most. seriously the desirability of taking power to pat into effect its endorsement of the principle' of regulations within the scope of the first steps
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.