LABOUR IN MADRAS 95 managed Mills, he handsomely showed that the comparison was greatly to the advantage of the two former. Mr. Kesa va Pillay, however, overlooked the fact that the working hours of the Mills in Madras as in other parts of India are governed by a Factory Act. All the Mills in India must conform approximately to the same working hours, or Mills that worked for shorter hours would suffer by unfair competition. Apparently as a result of Mr. Kesava Pillay's remarks, a Labour Union was formed, and it has held meetings more or less contin• uously throughout 1918. At these meetings speakers in the vernacular have informed the work-people that they are treated worse than beasts of burden, like rats, etc., and have thereby made them restless and discontented. It has further been continuously dinned into the ears of the workmen at these meetings that they are unfairly and unjustly treated, and though it is cleverly added that they should not strike, the workmen can only conclude that they are down-troduen and that the only effective weapon they possess is to strike. All this time the only serious complaints that have been placed before the management have been with reference to the length of the hours of work. These hours, though longer than those of the Perambur Loco, Works and Machine Shops in this city, are shorter than the working hours current in Cotton Mills in India. To illustrate the fact that wages are sufficient it is pointed out that the supply of labour is ample and that the Mills have hitherto been able to engage all they require at the gates without special recruitment. At the meeting reported in New India of the 19th
