ACCOMMODATION ON FARMS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30146, 1 June 1963, Page 13

ACCOMMODATION ON FARMS

Regulations Under New Acts (N.Z Press Association) WELLINGTON. May 30. An order was gazetted tonight to bring the Agricultural Workers Act. 1962, into force on Saturday. Regulations were also gazetted prescribing the accommodation and amenities to be provided by employers for the various classes of agricultural workers covered by the act. The previous Agricultural Workers Accommodation Regulations were made in 1937. The Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) said in a statement tonight that the requirements which were fully discussed by representatives of the employers and workers affected, were made much more specific. The requirements for accommodation, ‘washing and sanitary facilities had. as far as possible, been based on other legislation about accommodation. particularly that on housing improvement, drainage and plumbing, said Mr Shand.

A regulation modified and limited the obligations of emnloyers in rasnberry and hop fields because of the particularly short harvesting season with those crops, he said. Mr Shand also referred to the gazetting of an order bringing the Shearers Act 1962, into force on June 2. Regulations gazetted under the act dealt with accommodation and applied only to farmers who employed five shearers or more he said The regulations specified the construction and other minimum requirements for cookhouses and for dining and sleeping quarters, and set out the amenities in these quarters Regulations were also made in the case of a farmer not required to provide such accommodation and of a farmer who employs only ’’day shearers” or accommodates fewer than five shearers Only basic amenities were prescribed, said Mr Shand