§ Major GLYNasked the Minister of Agriculture whether the district wages boards have now completed their inquiries and established wages scales for all the defined areas of England and Wales; what has been the average increase of weekly wage; what is to-day the highest and lowest wage, and for which districts; and have any communications reached the Ministry from any district that employers are not paying the standard wage?
Mr. WOODThirty-nine of the agricultural wages committees have completed the fixing of minimum rates for time-work for all classes of male workers in their areas, and the rates have been duly brought into operation by Orders of the Agricultural Wages Board. The remaining eight committees have issued notices of the rates they propose to fix for male workers, and it is expected that262W the committees will all have considered any objections and fixed the rates in time for the wages board at their meeting on the 10th March to make the necessary Orders. In 35 of the areas minimum rates of wages have been brought into operation also for female workers, and in nine other areas rates for such workers have been proposed. No complete particulars are available as to the wages being paid prior to the fixing of the minimum rates, but from such information as is in my possession the minimum rates represent average increases in the weekly wage for ordinary workers ranging from is. to 5s. per week. The highest weekly wage in force at present is that of 43s. for certain classes of stockmen and shepherds in Durham, and the lowest. that of 29s. for ordinary workers in Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire, and in Norfolk. Although the Ministry has been informed of certain cases in which trice employers are alleged to be paying less than the minimum rates, my information is that generally the employers are complying loyally with the committees' decisions.