young persons.
The proportion of women, young persons and children engaged in the
cotton industry is so high, that most regulations affecting them, e.g.
those relating to the hours of labour, must practically be extended to
all cotton operatives. This act killed night work for "young persons,"
and children were not allowed to work at night. The year 1847 saw the
introduction of what was known as the Ten Hours Act--after the 1st of
May 1848 the hours of young persons (women included) and children were
not to exceed ten a day and fifty-eight a week. A further limitation
of hours to 56-1/2 a week was secured in 1874, and this was cut down
by another hour (the concession of the 12 o'clock Saturday) in 1901.
"Young persons" now includes all who are not half-timers and have not
attained the age of eighteen, and all women. The rules as regards the
employment of children, which have steadily improved, are at present
as follows. No child under twelve may be employed. On attaining the
age of thirteen the child may become a full-timer if he has obtained
the prescribed educational certificate (i.e. fifth standard attainment
or three hundred attendances each year for five consecutive years).
Failing this he must wait till he is fourteen before he can be
employed full time. Half-timers may be employed either (a) on
alternate days, which must not be the same days in two successive
weeks, or (b) in morning and afternoon sets. In the case of
arrangement (a), the child when at work may be employed during the
same period as a young person or woman, which in Lancashire is almost
universally from 6 to 6 with two hours for meals.[44] In the case of
arrangement (b), which is the system generally adopted in Lancashire,
a half-timer in the morning set works from 6 to 12.30, with half an
hour for breakfast, and in the afternoon from 1.30 to 6 except on
Saturdays, when the hours are from 6 till 11.30 for a manufacturing
operative, or till 12 for other work, for instance, cleaning. The
child must not work two consecutive weeks in the same set (that is, in
mornings or afternoons), nor on two successive Saturdays, nor on
Saturday at all if during any other day of the same week the period of
employment has exceeded 5-1/2 hours (i.e. a child in the morning set
does not work on the Saturday). Other important features of factory
legislation relate to the fencing of dangerous machinery a