NO NOVELTY OF ARGUMENT

Southland Times, Issue 22991, 10 September 1936, Page 6

NO NOVELTY OF ARGUMENT

The Farm Workers Bill FINISH OF SECOND BEADING OPPOSITION ATTACK NOT DEFINED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, September 9. The problem of farm labour was discussed at length, but with no great novelty of argument, in the House of Representatives to-day, when the debate on the Agricultural Workers Bill, which has been hanging fire for some weeks, was completed. The Bill lays down the minimum rates of wages for workers on dairy farms and also deals with accommodation requirements for farm labourers generally. •The Opposition attack on the Bill was not very clearly defined. In some instances it was claimed that the rates stipulated in the Bill would be beyond the capacity of many farmers to pay, while another line of argument was that the scale of wages would not be applicable, as farmers would have to compete with the higher rates paid on public works. Perhaps the best speech against the Bill was given by Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Ind., Egmont), who developed a detailed comparison between the rates paid on public works and those which would apply under the wages scale laid down in the Bill. No Opposition From Fanners. Government members took part in the debate freely throughout the day and their views were finally summed up by the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong), who stated that there had been no real opposition to the Bill from the farmers, although they had been given an opportunity to put forward their criticism before the Labour Bills Committee.

After the Minister had replied to the debate the motion to commit the Bill was carried and the House rose at 10.15 p.m.