Items of Interest September 30, 1916 ISSUE

Items of Interest

The Daily Trade Record says: "Competitors of the Japanese in foreign markets, who had hoped that the new factory law, which will become effective in Japan on Sept. 1, would more nearly equalize working conditions, will be disappointed to discover that practically no reforms will be instituted and that the old fourteen hour day will continue in vogue with scarcely any restrictions. It was expected that the hours for women and children would be shortened, but this has not been done. The majority of women children are employed in factories for yarns, fabrics, and knitted fabrics. In fact, 60 per cent of the labor in these industries is made up of women and children.

"The Japanese Government has seen fit to establish a ten year period during which the hands may be worked thirteen to fourteen hours a day. There are more than three thousand children under twelve years working in Japanese factories. Between the ages of twelve and fourteen there are more than forty thousand children employees, 31,000 of whom are girls, and all of them work thirteen to fourteen hours a day and may be compelled to continue doing so under the new factory law. Between the ages of fourteen and sixteen there are considerably more than one hundred thousand boys and girls working in Japanese factories, and of these 91,000 are girls."

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