386 



Minimum Prices of Wheat and Oats. 



[Arc, 



When any one of these committees has agreed upon a 

 rate of wages for any class of persons employed in agricul- 

 ture, the agreement may be submitted to the Minister 

 for confirmation. When confirmed, the particulars are to be 

 advertised in the district in order to bring the terms of 

 the agreement to the knowledge of the persons affected. Where 

 a rate of wages has been so agreed, confirmed and advertised, 

 it then becomes an implied term of every contract for employ- 

 ment that the employer shall pay to the workman wages at not 

 less than the rate payable under the agreement, and such con- 

 tract will be enforceable at law. Where in any proceedings for 

 the recovery of sums due under any such contract it is proved 

 that on account of special circumstances affecting the workman- 

 the employer and workman have agreed to a lower rate of 

 wages, the court may determine that the wages shall be recover- 

 able at the agreed rate or at any rate the court may think fair 

 and reasonable. 



In order to assist the agricultural industry to form district 

 concihation committees on the termination of the Agricultural 

 Wages Board, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries has set 

 up a special temporary branch of the Ministry to deal witli the 

 matter. Mr. H. J. Wilson, C.B., of the Ministry of Labour, 

 whose services have been lent by the Minister of Labour, ha& 

 been placed in charge of it. 



****** 



Representations having been made that the time allowed to 

 growers of wheat and oats in which to make their claims under 



„. . . » the Corn Production Acts was too short.. 



Minimum Prices of ^r- • ^ j ao^^ t ^ i- 



„~i M. , ^ 1. the Mmistrv announced on 28tn June that 

 V/heat and Oats. , . . - , . ^ -,o^u t i i ^ 

 claims might be made up to 18th July, but 



that no further extension of time beyond that date would be- 

 granted. No claim can now be received unless the claim:int 

 can show that he became the occupier of the land to which the 

 claim relates after 30th June, in which case a claim will be 

 accepted up to 1st September next. 



Tlv^ total number of claims received up to 18th July is approxi- 

 mately 160,000. These have been sent to the County Agricul- 

 tural Committees, whose officers are engaged in t^^sting their 

 accuracy- : special attention is being given to those cases where 

 there is reason to suspect that the land has been negligently culti- 

 vated. The work of inspection is being proceeded with rapidly, 

 but in view of the fact that a very large proportion of the claims 

 were not made until July, the work cannot be completed for 

 some vreeks. 



