490 Conciliation Committees in Agriculture, [Sept., 



months after the date when the workman left the employment 

 and a person will not be entitled to recover wages for more 

 than three months or for such longer period not exceeding one 

 year as the Court shall consider just. 



13. For the purposes of this section of the Act, the expression 

 *' agriculture " includes dairy farming and the use of land as 

 grazing, meadow or pasture land or orchard or osier land or for 

 market gardens or nursery grounds, but not woodlands or wood- 

 land nurseries and the expression " agricultural " i^i to be con- 

 strued accordingly. The expression " workmen " includes boys, 

 women and girls. The expression " employment " means em- 

 ployment under a contract of service or apprenticeship, and the 

 expressions " employ " and " employer " are to be construed 

 accordingly. 



In connection with the Conciliation Committees referred to 

 above, the Minister has addressed the following letter, dated 

 August 13th, 1921, to representative members of the existing 

 District Wages Committees : — 

 Dear Sir, 



YoiT are doubtless already aware of the provisions of the Corn 

 Production Acts (Repeal) Bill, which has now passed through all 

 its stages in the House of Lords. 



The effect of the Bill is to terminate the Agricultui-al Wages 

 Board and the District W^ages Committees, but the Minister of 

 Agriculture is empowered to take such steps as he may consider 

 best adapted for securing the estabUshment by agreement of 

 Local Joint Concihation Committees throughout England and 

 Wales for the purpose of dealing with wages and hours of labour. 

 I am very anxious that all the necessary preliminary arrange- 

 ments for giving effect to the Act should be made without delay 

 imd with the fullest co-operation of all concerned, and as a first 

 step I have felt it to be essential to acquaint you and all other 

 representative members of the present District Vv'ages Comjnittees 

 of the position. 



Subject to the provisions of Clause 4 (2), it is provided by the 

 Bill that the members of the District Wages Committee for a 

 particular area, who at the date of the passing of the Act repre- 

 sent the employers and workpeople respectiv^ely (but not the 

 appointed members) shall be a Joint Concihation Committee for 

 the time being until a permanent Concihation Committee has 

 been set up. and accordingly I have to ask whether you will be 

 good enough to act as a member of the Interim Committee for 



