ABSTRACT
During the Great War very large numbers of women were working in munition factories by night as well as by day, either on two-shift or three-shift systems, and sometimes, when night work was not necessary, they worked on two 8-hour day shifts. When a firm wishes to place some of its employees under the two-shift system, it has to make a joint application to the Home Office in which a majority of the workpeople affected by the Order have signified their consent. The Order granted contains a number of provisions and stipulations, which vary a good deal according to the circumstances under which it was made. The number of Orders granted each year is usually mentioned in the annual reports of the Chief Inspector of Factories. It is impossible to ascertain at all accurately the number of women, girls and boys working under two-shift Orders, because the factories are not asked to make returns of these numbers.
