Dee. 12.
Recently we drew attention to the provisions of the Factory, Law proposed by the Nationalist Government, pointing out that at a period when the further industrialization of China is in the minds of a great many the most enterprising merchants, it is likely to have the effect decisively retarding it. Further inquiry into this subject shows that on the whole we understated the case, but before going into that, the result of inguiry into the origin of the proposed law provides much food for thought. At the time when the Communists were in control in the Wuhan centre another Factory Law was brought into existence, and so far as we have been able to ascertain this one in no essentials differs from that outspokenly Communistic document. In Western countries when an. important new measure of this kind is in the minds of a political party it is generally found that only after careful inquiry among leaders of industry, coupled with investiga. tion of the workers' condition, are the provisions of the law laid down. In this case owners of factories have not been consulted in regard to the measure, and so far as can be ascertained the employer of labour whose advice has been asked by the Government has been the dirctor of a printing concern. One would have hoped that the heads the cotton industry would be the first consulted, but as they Were not, and further as they' would have told the Government: that nothing short of ruin would attend the promulgation of this measure, it takes on anew aspect. It is, in effect, practically drawn word for word from the munist book of legislation, is utterly inharmonious with the needs of the country in its present state.
We are talking now from the Point of view of the Chinese owned mills. This phase of the industrialization of China dates from: 1918, and its history. in the intervening years has not been especially happy, Now the owners are faced with a law which gives satisfaction to no one, In dealing with the subject previously "we stated that it would drive fresh capital away from such enterprises in future, but we learn that the introduction of an. eight-hour day, as is proposed, will have the additional effect of causing the mills to close. On the other ud the agitators, who lead the hour unions, have decided that ther are not satisfied with it, and, strange as it may appear where a piece of legislation concerned which we described as but which the Chin-owners do not hesitate 1 Communistic, they are with it as being too witalistically inclined, so the Government measure pleases no-bods. In facing the hard facts of the ease, however, we see that any factory Jaw designed for China at the present time the Government should have, in temporary measure at any rate, taken such circumstances as the following into consideration. Since 1921 until the present day' the Chinese mills have not been able to make profits, hence all talk of profit-sharing by the workers is illusory. 'That the mills are making a. profit_todas' is solely a "result of "the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.