§ Mr. LAMBasked the Minister of Agriculture what standing and temporary Committees were set up by the Agricultural Wages Board between 1917 and 1921; the numbers who sat on each Committee 2027W and how many times each Committee met; what reports were presented to the Board by the Committees; and what was the cost to the taxpayer involved in the meetings of each Committee and in the publication of the reports produced, respectively?
§ Mr. BUXTONApart from the District Wages Committees the Agricultural Wages Board set up four Standing Committees and 18 temporary Committees, a list of which and of the numbers of members and of meetings is given in the statement below. Reports were presented
2028W
AGRICULTURAL WAGES BOARD. List of Committees set up, 1917–1921. — Period of Operation. Number of Members. Number of Meetings. Number of Reports. I. Standing Committees. Administration August, 1918—September, 1921. 6 (afterwards 13). 42 — Allowances December, 1917—September, 1921. 12 20 — Cottages December, 1917—September, 1921. 12 16 — Selection December, 1917—September, 1921. 12 43 — II. Temporary Committees. Farming Costs and Cost of Living. March, 1918—March, 1919 9 (afterwards 13*) 19 3 Women's Rates April—July, 1918 12* 4 4 Application of Unemployment Insurance. December, 1920—April, 1921 5 3 1 Recommendations May—June, 1918 9 6 6 Conciliation and Arbitration July—August, 1918 6 2 2 Market Gardens April—August, 1918 5 4 2 Hay and Corn Harvests May, 1918—April, 1921 6 (afterwards 10). 4 4 Dairy May—July, 1918 9 2 2 Deputations June—October, 1918 9 3 3 Women's and Girls' Rates August, 1918 6 2 1 Customary Hours January—July, 1919 10 6 6 Drafting February, 1919—April, 1921 5 (afterwards 6). 4 4 Probationary Workers March, 1919—September, 1920. 5 (afterwards 7). 3 3 Females' and Boys' Rates April, 1919 8 1 1 Conference with District Wages Committees. May—July, 1919 6 2 2 Expenses of Members November, 1919—January, 1920. 5 1 1 Revision of Regulations January—July, 1920 11 8 4 Boys' and Women's Rates March—September, 1920 10 2 2 * The Farming Costs Committee included 3, and the Women's Rates Committee 4, co-opted members; otherwise the Committees were comprised solely of members of the Wages Board. to the Board by the Standing Committees of all their meetings, and the number of reports presented by each of the other Committees is shown in the statement. The records of the expenditure of the Agricultural Wages Board do not distinguish the expenses of the Committees from those of the Board itself. Reports of only two of the Committees (that on Farming Costs and Cost of Living and that on Unemployment Insurance), were issued as publications, and I am informed by His Majesty's Stationery Office that the cost of printing these reports was £231 and £16 10s. respectively.