AGRICULTURAL WORKERS’ ACT EXTENSION PASSED

Northern Advocate, 10 December 1937, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL WORKERS’ ACT EXTENSION PASSED

[Por Pro;;:: Association —■ Copyright, j WELLINGTON, Tills Day. After a .short debate in the afternoon, j when the second reading was carried, j the Agriculurai Workers’ Amendment Bill was put through the remaining stages and passed by the House of Representatives last night. Moving the second reading. the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, said it should be rememjbered that the Agricultural Workers’ [Act applied only to dairy farms, but j other branches of the farming indusj try had been attracted by the success lof the measure and the Bill would | bring all such branches of the farming industry under the provisions of the main Act. Otherwise, they would come under the provisions of the ArI bilration Court. | It might be asked, lie added, why the ! Government did not introduce other | amendments to the Act in the present } Bill, but these would probably be ! brought down after the coming Pari liamentary recess. { The Bill was an urgent matter and, i unless it were passed, agreements beI tween fruitgrowers, graingrowers, iwoolgrowers, etc., and their employees i could not continue and the matter j would have to be referred to the Arj bitration Court. Anything not provided for in the original Act could not be enforced in law. unless this Bill went through. Dairy Farmers Satisfied. Mr W. J. Poison (Oppsn., Stratford) said dairy farmers were perfectly satisfied with the provisions for agreements in the Act. which had been ac--1 cepted almost 100 per cent, by them, jlt left them out of the turmoil and heartburnings of Arbitration Court proceedings. He though the workers were also satisfied with the provisions. He thought this plan of men and employers meeting round the table and coming to an amicable agreement was the { best measure of ensuring industrial peace.

Fruilgrowers Misinformed

One difficulty was in connection with, fruitgrowers, who had been misinformed and had come to an unworkable agreement. He believed that at the present time they were entering Conciliation Council proceedings with regard to it. He also mentioned the position of 'the farmer who wished to use his permanent farmhands in the woolsheet during the shearing season, and asked the Minister if these men were debarred from doing so under the present awards.

Mr Armstrong , in reply, said that if the fruitgrowers came to an agreement with the workers that agreement could be written into an agreement under the Act, instead of into an award.

Permanent hands on the farms could be used in woolsheds during the season, according to advice received by him from the officers of his department. Mr Poison; That is very satisfactory. The Bill was read the second time.