THE WORLD’S WORKERS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 101, 2 May 1938, Page 3

THE WORLD’S WORKERS

AGRICULTURE’S SHARE EMPLOYS PER CENT. The need for improvement in the working conditions and living standards of small-holders, tenant farmers, and share croppers, as well as of agricultural wage-earners, was unanimously recognised by the Permanent Agricultural Committee of the international Labour Office at its first meeting, which was held in Geneva this month.

550 Millions In Agriculture. the Committee had before it statistics compiled ny the international Labour Office, showing that of 865,000,000 persons 'gainfully employed” in the world, 550,000.CMC are working at agriculture. These figures, experts pointed out, indicate that agriculture represents more than 60 per cent, of the economic activity of mankind: and that its purchasing power is enormously influential in industrial buying. However, various members of the Committee pointed out that the number of farm workers included in these figures was greatly exceeded by Ihe number of small-holders, tenant farmers and share croppers; and that however pressing are the problems of the farm worker, those of the smallholders. tenant farmers and sharerroppers are no less important. They also pointed out that a solution of the social problems of agriculture and the creation of a satisfactory standard of living in rural areas depended, in the last analysis, on the economic condition of agriculture in general.

Holiday* and Hour*. Four resolutions, dealing respectively with paid holidays tor farm workers, the fixing of a minimum wage, hours of work and ihe protection of child labour, were unanimously adopted by the Committee. After speakers representing governments, employers and workers had Urged the extension of the principle Df paid holidays to farm labour, pointing out that this reform had already been applied to seamen as well as to industrial and commercial workers, the Committee adopted a resolution urging the governing body •f the 1.L.0. to place the question on the agenda of an early session of the International Labour Conference. The Conference sessions are held in Geneva in June.

Considerable time was spent by the Committee in discussing the *mporttnce of a system of wage-fixing machinery in agriculture. It was agreed that any international regulation should be broad enough in tcope to cover all, or most, forms of Wage-fixing machinery now functioning in agriculture. The Committee lhen adopted a resolution asking the governing body to consider the desiribility of placing this question on Ihe agenda of an early session of the Conference.

Regulating Hours of Work. Although the Committee agreed as ■ to the need for some system of regulating hours of work in agriculture* it recognised that climatic and weather conditions, as well as other special considerations which at times make long working hours necessary, must be taken into consideration. It was decided that the end aimed at must be the laying down of a maximum limit over a fixed period of time, with sufficient elasticity in the application of any regulations adopted to allow for seasonal requirements and climatic differences. It was also decided that details of application should be left to each country to decide, collective bargaining being tpcommended as one of the means to this end. The Committee then adopted a resolution requesting the governing body of the 1.L.0. to instruct the International Labour Office to continue its studies of this question with a view to its being placed on the next session of the Conference after it has been reconsidered by the Committee at next year's meeting. Child Labour.

Regarding the need for the protection of child labour in agriculture, the Committee came to the conclusion that the question needs further study, and requested that the research facilities of the 1.L.0. be utilised to prepare a full report on the aspects of this question. Close collaboration with other competent authorities in studying methods whereby social protection could be more generally extended to the agricultural population, was recommended by the Committee. It pointed out that, heretofore, social security and medical services in most countries have been available only to urban populations; though there are, ■ in many countries, hundreds of thousands. or even millions, of farmers and their employees whose position as regards social protection is lastly inferior to that of industrial workers. Several members of the Committee urged the association of farm cooperative societies with government schemes for social improvement as one means of assuring the extension of social security and medical services to rural populations. Small Farmers. The Committee also requested that the International Labour Office in conjunction with the International Institute of Agriculture in Rome and other international institutions dealing with agriculture, should undertake a study of social and economic conditions of small farmers, with a view to the possible adoption of measures designed to improve these conditions.