Mr. David Adamsasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in which British Colonies minimum wage legislation for certain classes of workers has been introduced during the past year; and whether he is aware that in about 30 British possessions there is wage-fixing legislation which has been largely ignored in 15 or 16 of them?
Mr. M. MacDonaldDuring the past year legislation dealing with minimum wage-fixing machinery has been passed in the Leeward Islands and in St. Lucia and St. Vincent. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to answers which I gave to questions by the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Paling) on 29th June, of which I am sending him a copy.
Mr. David Adamsasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies by what date the Government is likely to put into force in British Colonial Dependencies the draft convention on the standardisation of statistics of hours and wages, adopted by the International Labour Conference, so that this House may be better informed as to conditions throughout the Empire?
Mr. M. MacDonaldThe draft convention was only adopted last month by the International Labour Conference and the question of the practicability of applying its provisions in the Colonial Dependencies will be considered when the action to be taken in the United Kingdom in regard to the convention has been decided upon.