The normal working hours vary considerably in the United Kingdom, from 6 - 1 hours per shift, for the hewers 1n the soft coal collieries of2 Northumberland, to 13 hours per shift on tramways, railways, and many other sections of labour. Large numbers yet work 12 hour shifts, of seven shifts a week, such as the chemical workers of Lancashire and the steel workers of Yorkshire. Those employed under the Factory Acts are restricted to 56l hours per week, unless permission be obtained from the factory inspector, which 1s done in many instances, especially in the Midlands. But it does not follow that the mills stop running in the textile trade, as is generally supposed, when the women and children leave in accordance with the factory and workshop regulation; in some districts of Yorkshire it is the regular practice for the men to work till eight at night, or 2%.hours longer than the women.

In most trades where men' preponderate, the normal work ing hours have been fixed for a' period of '20 years at 54 a week, although this number is often exceeded by the men working overtime, generally at an increased rate of pay.

Some 10 per cent. Of the male workers are subject to casual intermittent employment, or are out of work altogether, that is, about in a normal state of trade such as we, now experience, about one-half of whom average two days' work a Week, and the remaining half, or are entirely idle. In a time of bad trade the number of very casually employed or wholly unemployed amounts to 25 per cent. Of the total, as 18 shown by trade union and other statistics.

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