§ Colonel DAYasked the Minister of Agriculture the number of men employed on the land on 1st March, 1924, and 1st March, 1925, respectively; and in what capacity were the different classes of workers so employed?
Mr. WOODThe Annual Returns collected by my Department refer to the 4th June and do not distinguish the various capacities in which agricultural workers are employed. The following table shows the number of male agricultural workers (excluding the occupier) employed on the 4th June, 1923, and 1924 respectively:
— 1923. 1924. Regular Male Workers 21 years old and over. 426,925 441,491 Regular Male Workers under 21 years old. 138,898 140,772 Casual Male Workers 21 years old and over. 79,099 88,533 Casual Male Workers under 21 years old. 24,990 26,461 Total Male Workers 669,912 697,257