Aprit 30, The Parliamentary Committee, appointed last year to consider the question of annual holidays with pay for the workers of Great Britain, has issued its report, and there appears to be more than a likelihood, it its recommendations are acted upon, that within very short while employers will be obliged by Jaw to grant to their employees a holiday of at least one working week for which wages will be paid as usual, To a large number of people in Shanghai already accustomed to ich a practice, it will probably come as a surprise that the majority of workers in Britain have no such opportunity, and that many of those who manage to spend a week at the seaside, forfeit their wages for the period of inactivity and are only able to, enjoy the annual vacation by careful saving during the rest of the year, The Lancashire mill operatives who go to the annual Wakes at Blackpool receive no wages while they are away from, work, and yet the desire for the annual holiday is such that, despite that fact, they have always managed to find the means for the little relaxation they secure, With the growing influence of Labour and the determi~ nation to improve the lot of the working man, it was natural that wages and conditions should have received initial attention, and though employers have been approached in the past for this holiday concession it is only' comparatively recently that they gradually came ta see the reasonableness of the demand, and to some extent are now voluntarily meeting the wishes of their workers. 'The movement, however, is by no means general, and only yesterday this journal carried the report that the Federation of Master Cotton Spinners had, at any rate for the time being, refused the' application of the re~ presentatives of their 350,000 workers for an annual week's holiday with pay. This was no refusal on the ground of principle, but because of the state of trade and it was suggested that the matter might be reconsidered in six months time, On the face of the granting of a week's holiday with pay would amount to an increase in the cost of labour by something rather under 2 per cent. That does not seem to be a very large increase, but, with competition as keen as it is, the added. cost to overhead is something which cannot be lightly disregarded, 'The Parliamentary' Commitice itself is not prepared to recommend immediate legislation on the! subject, and recommends a_ probationary' period of one year.in order that it may be! ascertained exactly how far employers will in the matter of their own volition, and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.