§ 90. Sir JOHN SPEARasked the Minister of National Service whether a man above forty-five who volunteers for work on the land in so doing becomes a Government employé; and, in case he contracts disease through exposure, such as pneumonia or consumption, and becomes permanently incapacitated from work, will he be compensated by the State, and if his illness so contracted results in death will his dependants receive a gratuity or pension?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI am glad to have an opportunity of removing a possible misapprehension. A man who volunteers for work as a War Agricultural Volunteer or, I may say, as a War Work Volunteer, does not by so doing become a Government employé. The employer to whom he is allocated pays him his wages, and is in every sense his employer, with all the legal responsibilities which that implies.