A—7a

The second complements the first by inviting the Governing Body to arrange for action to assist the implementation of the first resolution through the Permanent Agricultural Committee, the Asian Field Office, or other appropriate bodies. The implementation is to include a detailed study of conditions of agricultural workers within as short a period as possible. It was felt that it was not possible to handle the various problems concerned with agricultural workers in the absence of such a study. The third resolution, moved by the French Government member, relates mainly to share-croppers receiving no wages but subsisting on the share of the produce of the land. It was pointed out in most countries there was no protective legislation to regulate relationship of share-croppers to the land-owner, tradition being the governing factor in all contractual relationship. Furthermore, it was pointed out that these workers were often in a state of continual debt to their land-owner. As in other cases, it is hardly possible to draw complete plans for helping these persons without a full study of their conditions. The Committee accordingly requested the Governing Body to instruct the Office to undertake, in collaboration with the FAO, a thorough study of conditions of employment of such rural workers and to convene a meeting of experts to review this study, and to formulate recommendations for consideration by the next Asian Regional Conference. All these resolutions as adopted by the Committee were unanimously approved by the Conference. The texts are found in Appendices 8, 9, and 10 of this report. 13. ORGANIZATION OF MAN-POWER The Conference Committee set up to deal with this item on the Agenda had before it a report prepared by the Office. The Committee held six sittings. It was decided to discuss the two questions dealt with in the report—namely, employment service organization, and vocational and technical training—separately, these two subjects being distinct in character and lending themselves conveniently to such treatment. The Committee adopted resolutions on each of the above two subjects. As regards the first subject, the main problem was how to adapt an employment service system which had worked successfully in industralized countries to the needs of a largely agricultural economy with special features such as well-entrenched traditional methods of recruitment, poor mobility of labour, and illiteracy. The approved resolution on employment service organization therefore, while emphasizing the need for acceptance by Asian countries of the Employment Service Convention and Recommendation, 1948, recognizes that this will not be possible immediately in all the Asian countries. A selection has therefore been made of the more fundamental of the principles contained in those instruments on which Governments might concentrate attention as a first step. The resolution also invites the Governing Body to authorize the International Labour Office to provide technical assistance to the Asian countries in respect of Employment service organization. As regards the second subject—vocational and technical training—the Committee had before it the documentation and conclusions of the Asian Conference of Experts on vocational and technical training which had met at Singapore from the 12th to 24th September, 1949. The Committee decided to submit these conclusions, with one minor change in the text, to the Conference for adoption as its own resolution. By this means the conclusions would be given greater authority. The resolutions adopted by the Committee were approved unanimously by the Conference and are found as Appendices 11 and 12 of this report.

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