Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/269

 outside South Wales, Durham, and Northumberland, whether hewers or other underground men, are actually engaged in work over forty·eight hours in the week.

In South Wales, however, the longest hours of underground men are 54·4. The time allowed for meals, as pointed out above, is about two and a half hours; so that a forty-eight hours week would mean a reduction of four hours even if meal time were saved.

The counties of Durham and Northumberland have always enjoyed a special reputation in the coal industry. But whilst hewers work shorter hours there than elsewhere, the boys and men who are engaged in bringing the minerals from the face to the bottom of the pit work from ten to eleven hours per day. The system appears to be due to the fact that the hewers have used their influence to shorten their own hours, but not the hours of the boys. Three shifts of hewers are utilized to two shifts of boys. The introduction of an eight hours day in these counties would require the employment of a larger number of boys in order to maintain the output.

In discussing the etlects of the reduction in hours on the output but little assistance is gained from economic theory. It may be admitted that, if every factor that relates to the production of coal were to remain constant, a reduction of hours will reduce the output and raise the price. If this occurs, every industry and every household that uses coal will be affected, and the demand for English coal both at home and abroad may decrease. It would be interesting to trace all the various economic results that might possibly ensue, but where the theoretic economist ends the practical legislator begins; and I prefer, on the present occasion, to try and ascertain if any forces are in actual