H.—ll.

Extension Orders.

For particulars as to the wages and conditions of employment of these agricultural workers reference should be made to the extension orders. .During the year complaints were received respecting 1,235 alleged breaches of the Act, and these resulted in 48 prosecutions and 548 warnings. Fines imposed amounted to £30. Apart from the above, inspections were made of 985 dairy-farms, 322 farms and stations, 129 market gardens, and 60 orchards, it being necessary in 348 instances to draw attention to failure to observe the statutory provisions. SHAREMILKING AGREEMENTS ACT, 1937. The object of the Act is to provide minimum standard terms and conditions for inclusion in share-milking agreements betwe«n share-milkers and farm-owners. Minimum standard terms and conditions which had been agreed to on behalf of the New Zealand Farmers' Union and the New Zealand Workers' Industrial Union of Workers are set out in the Schedule to the Act, but these are applicable only in those cases where the farm-owner provides the herd. Provision is made, however, for extending the provisions of the Act to other classes of share-milking agreements —for example, where the share-milker provides the herd —if standard terms and conditions have been agreed to by representative organizations of farm-owners and share-milkers. The provisions in the schedule may be revoked, varied, or added to by the Governor-General in Council by agreement of the organizations concerned. It may be mentioned here that a number of alterations to the Schedule have been agreed upon by the above organizations, and these amendments have been embodied in a new Schedule which has just been issued by Order in Council to operate from Ist July, 1939, the original Schedule to the Act, as mentioned above, being revoked accordingly. In the case of every share-milking agreement made between a farm-owner and a share-milker where the herd is owned or provided by the farm-owner, the agreement shall, on and after the Ist day of August, 1938, operate not less favourably for the share-milker in any respect than if the terms and conditions specified in the Schedule were incorporated in the agreement on that date, and any terms and conditions in the agreement that are inconsistent with the terms and conditions of the Schedule shall, on and after the Ist day of August, 1938, or the date of the agreement, whichever is the later, be deemed to be null and void in so far as they would operate to the disadvantage of the share-milker. Without limiting any other remedies that a share-milker may have against the farm-owner, any Inspector under the Agricultural Workers Act, 1936, may, acting in the name and on behalf of the share-milker, take proceedings for the enforcement of the rights of the share-milker under any sharemilking agreement to which the Act applies. During the year numerous inquiries have been dealt with by the Department, particularly in the North Island, where share-milking agreements are more prevalent. A few complaints have been received in respect of breaches of the standard terms and conditions, but in most cases it has been possible to settle the difficulties by agreement of the parties, and it has not yet been necessary for the Department to take proceedings in any case. SCAFFOLDING AND EXCAVATION ACT. During the year 5,251 notices of intention to erect buildings and scaffoldings and to commence excavations were received (previous year 5,594), and 11,032 inspections were made. There were twenty-nine prosecutions, convictions being recorded in twenty-eight cases, and fines amounting to £40 being imposed. The number of accidents to workers during the year ended 31st December, 1938, was 214 (of which 6 were fatal). It should be mentioned that the total includes not only accidents to workers on scaffolding or in connection with gear or excavations, but also all other accidents occurring in connection with building operations, such as faulty use of tools, falling objects, and errors of judgment.

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Class. | Scope. Order and Serial Number. Agricultural and pastoral workers em- Dominion of New Zealand . . The Agricultural Workers Extension ployed on farms and stations used for Order 1937, No. 2 (1937/154). commercial production of wool, meat, The Agricultural Workers Extension and/or grain (including seed) Order 1937, No. 3 (1937/162). The Agricultural Workers Wage Fixation Order 1937 (1937/273). Agricultural workers employed in orchards Dominion of New Zealand .. The Agricultural Workers Extension Order 1938 (1938/22). Agricultural workers employed in market Wellington and Nelson Indus- The Agricultural Workers Extonsion gardens (including market gardens where trial Districts Order (No. 2) 1938 (1938/53). soft fruit is produced) The Agricultural Workers Extension Order (No. 5) 1938 (1938/184). Agricultural workers employed in market Canterbury Industrial District The Agricultural Workers Extension gardens (including market gardens where Order (No. 3) 1938 (1938/74). soft fruit is produced) Agricultural workers employed in market Otago and Southland Industrial The Agricultural Workers Extension gardens (including market gardens where Districts Order (No. 4) 1938 (1938/92). soft fruit is produced) Agricultural workers employed by market Northern Industrial District .. The Agricultural Workers Extension gardeners, soft-fruit growers, nurserymen, Order 1939 (1939/58). and landscape gardeners