H—ll

(j) Agricultural Workers Act, 1936 (1) During the year all the rates of wages specified by the various Wage-fixation and Extension Orders have been increased. The prevailing rates are as set out below :

(2) The following under-rate workers' permits have been issued under the Act during the year :

The total number of permits compares with previous years as follows : 1947-48 = 333 ; 1948-49 = 416 ; 1949-50 = 475. The increase over last year took place almost entirely in permits issued for part-time female labour on dairy-farms. The greatest number of permits was issued in the Hamilton district (127), followed by New Plymouth (81), Paeroa (31), and Auckland (27). Districts in the North Island issued 393 permits, and 82 were issued in the South Island. (k) Accommodation on Farms, &c. (1) Table XXII shows that inspections of agricultural workers' accommodation have increased from 230, 232, and 320 in the three previous years to 420 in 1949-50, and 69 requisitions were served, compared with 92 and 52 in the two previous years. Many requisitions made had not been carried out at the end of the year, in some cases due to shortages of materials such as corrugated iron. The comments of Inspectors show that while accommodation is, on the average, up to requirements of the Act, wide variation exists between districts, and in one district, at least, the fear is expressed that poor accommodation provided will react seriously on the supply of farm labour.

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Bate Reference in Class. Bate for Adult Worker. from 'Which Payable. Authorizing Measure. Statutory Regulations Series. Dairy-farms £6 6s. 6d. per week (plus board and lodging, £1 5s.) 1/6/49 Agricultural Workers Wagefixation Order 1949 1949/78. Farms and stations £5 6s. 6d. per week (plus 1/7/49 The Agricultural Workers 1949/134. board and lodging, £1 5s.) (Farms and Stations) Extension Order 1949 Orchards Male, £7 per week, 3s. 5d. per hour; female, £4 12s. 6d. per week, 2s. 4|d. per hour 1/6/49 The Agricultural Workers (Orchardists) Extension Order 1949 1949/117. Tobacco Male, 3s. 5d. per hour ; 1/6/49 The Agricultural Workers 1949/116. female, 2s. 3d. per hour (Tobacco-growers) Extension Order 1949 Market gardens Male, £7 6s. 8d. per week, 3s. 5d. per hour; female, £4 17s. 6d. per week, 2s. 3d. per hour 1/9/49 The Agricultural Workers (Market gardens) Extension Order 1950 1950/16.

Type of Work. Part-time Work. Inexperience. Disability. Other -Reasons. Totals, M. F. M. F. M. F. M. | F. Comments. Dairy-farms Farms and stations .. Market gardens Orchards Totals 5 4 250 1 18 12 1 87 48 1 1 j 11 27 2 1 3 3 . 1 | Includes 11 ! old age | Includes 22 | old age Old age .. 376 95 2 2 9 251 30 1 136 1 40 7 i 475