TABLE 13.-Administration of the Factory Acts, 1913-1923.

The expenditure is that of the financial year commencing April 1st.

Docks, wharves, quays, warehouses (s. 104); "buildings" (s. 105); railway lines and sidings (s. 106); homework premises, and factories and workshops under the charge of H.M. Inspectors of Mines, are not included.

§ Including examinations made by Appointed Surgeons and voluntary examinations.

Figures not tabulated.

Printed by H.M.S.O. Press, Harrow.

Presented to Parliament by Command of His Majesty, May, 1924.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.

To be purchased directly from H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following addresses: Imperial House, Kingsway, London, W.C. 2; 28. Abingdon Street, London, S. W. 1;' York Street, Manchester; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff;

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or through any Bookseller.

1924. Price 6d. Net.

Cmd. 2135.

WARRANT OF APPOINTMENT.

I HEREBY APPOINT:

RHYS J. DAVIES, Esq., M.P., Parliamentary Under Secretary of
State, Home Office;

GERALD BELLHOUSE, Esq., C.B.E., Chief Inspector of Factories;
R. WALLACE HENRY, Esq., M.D., Chairman of the Representative
Body of the British Medical Association;

J. MOORE MURRAY, Esq., Secretary to the Warrington Education
Committee;

SYDNEY W. PASCALL, Esq.;

MRS. RACKHAM, M.A., J.P.;

W. J. TOUT, Esq., M.P.; and

A. H. WOOD, Esq., of the Board of Education (Medical Branch); to be a Committee to inquire into the working of the provisions of the Factory and Workshop Acts for the medical examination of young persons as to their fitness for employment in factories, and to consider:(a) whether the existing requirement of a certificate of fitness

limited to a particular factory should be modified; whether any other changes should be made in the examination and certificate; and what arrangements should be adopted for the future:

(b) what measures should be taken for linking up the examination of young persons under the Factory and Workshop Acts with their examination under the school medical inspection service, and, if considered desirable, with other public health services of the country;

(c) what arrangements could best be made for providing medical supervision of young persons (where such supervision is considered necessary by the Department) during employment in factories or processes where the conditions of work are unfavourable to health or physique.

AND I FURTHER APPOINT Mr. Rhys Davies to be Chairman, and Miss Rose E. Squire, O.B.E., of the Home Office, to be Secretary of the Committee.

WHITEHALL,

(Signed) ARTHUR HENDERSON.

21st March, 1924.

The cost of this inquiry, including the preparation of the Report, is estimated to be £119 18s. 8d., of which £16 12s. 6d. represents the estimated cost of printing and publishing the Report.

COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL

EXAMINATION

OF YOUNG PERSONS FOR FACTORY

EMPLOYMENT.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

SIR,

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPART-
MENT.

We have the honour to submit the following Report dealing with the matters referred to us in the Warrant of Appointment issued to us on March 21st, 1924.

1. We have met on 10 days and have examined 29 witnesses. The witnesses have included Employers; Representatives of Organised Labour; of the Factory Department, Home Office; the Medical Department of the Board of Education, and the Ministry of Health ; of Local Authorities School Medical Service and Medical Officers of Health and of Certifying Factory Surgeons. A list of witnesses is attached in Appendix I.

Owing to the urgent need for the work of the Committee to be completed within a few weeks of its appointment, we were unfortunately unable to obtain evidence which would otherwise have been tendered in response to our invitation, from some of the important organisations, including the National Confederation of Employers' Organisations and the British Medical Association. The thanks of the Committee are due to all those who at very short notice came to our assistance as witnesses.

2. We feel it necessary to state that we were informed at the outset that the Committee was appointed in view of amending Factory Legislation which the Government propose to introduce at an early date, and that in order that its advice might be available for the use of the Home Office, it was essential that we should conduct our inquiry with the utmost despatch. The proceedings of the Committee have been governed throughout by this urgent requirement laid upon us.

3. It will be convenient by way of introduction to set out briefly the history and present position of the two medical services referred to in our reference which are engaged in the medical examination of the boys and girls who are to enter industry, i.e., the medical examination for factory employment by Certifying Surgeons under the Factory Act and the medical examination during school life by Medical Officers of the Local Education Authority under the Education Acts-the former being under the Home Office, and the latter being in England and Wales under the Board of Education by arrangement with the Ministry of Health, and in Scotland under the Scottish Board of Health.