The citizen and the state; industrial and social life and the empire . -ground. Further, the law insists that the mine ownersshall use every reasonable precaution to ensure thesafety and health of the men in their employ. Itis not so easy to see how the Coal Mines (EightHours) Act of 1908 fulfils these conditions. Itforbids coal miners to work more tlian eight hours aday. To work so long underground would seem tomost of us quite enough under ordinary circumstances,but it is not obvious why a man should not l^e allowedto work more sometimes if he wants to earn moremoney one day and perhaps to t
The citizen and the state; industrial and social life and the empire . -ground. Further, the law insists that the mine ownersshall use every reasonable precaution to ensure thesafety and health of the men in their employ. Itis not so easy to see how the Coal Mines (EightHours) Act of 1908 fulfils these conditions. Itforbids coal miners to work more tlian eight hours aday. To work so long underground would seem tomost of us quite enough under ordinary circumstances,but it is not obvious why a man should not l^e allowedto work more sometimes if he wants to earn moremoney one day and perhaps to take a holiday anotherday. The law interferes with his liberty and freedomof contract. It is like the class legislation which wehave tried to get rid of in England. Also, if theminers were all agreed in desiring that the dayswork sliould always be limited to eight hours, theirUnions are well able to arrange it with the masterswithout the interference of Government. 5. Government Inspectors.—It would obviouslyhave b(;en little good to pass the Factory Acts and Mines. 102 INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL LIFE AND DUTIES ciiap. Acts, and not to have insisted on their would be like enacting that public-houses shouldclose at a particular hour, and then taking no thoughtas to whether they really did close at the hourrequired. Accordingly, a number of inspectors are ap-pointed by Government, whose business it is to see thatthe Factory Acts and Mines Acts are properly carriedout. These inspectors visit the factories and the factories they inquire whether women andchildren are employed for too long hours, whether anychildren under age are at work, and whether propertime is allowed for meals—an hour for dinner andhalf an hour for tea—and whether the sanitary stateof the factories is satisfactory. In the case of minesthey also see that the proper safeguards againstexplosions and poisonous gases are observed. Chapter XXV 1. Dangers of Interference.—Though every onemus
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