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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 10 Nov 1937

Vol. 69 No. 6

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wages Districts.

ask the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that in making an Order under Section 3 of the Agricultural Wages Act, 1936, prescribing wages districts for the purposes of the Act no wages districts were prescribed to conform to the areas of the dairying districts of the country which precluded special consideration of the needs and conditions of the dairying industry by the Agricultural Wages Board in the making of Orders under Section 17 of the Act, and whether in the circumstances and to remove the dissatisfaction that exists amongst dairy farmers he is prepared to make an amending Order prescribing such wages districts as would cover the dairying areas or counties to permit of reconsideration by the board of the matter.

Under the existing Order declaring agricultural wages districts for the purposes of the Agricultural Wages Act, 1936, each administrative county forms a separate wages district, but it does not appear to me to follow that this precludes the Agricultural Wages Board from giving consideration to the question of fixing minimum rates of wages to suit the particular requirements of the dairying industry. The Act empowers the board to fix minimum rates of wages for any special class of agricultural workers in any agricultural wages district or in any special part of a district. In these circumstances, and in the absence of any recommendations from the board, I do not see any necessity to make the amending Order suggested in the question.

Is the Minister not aware that conditions in the dairying industry differ materially from those in other branches of agriculture?

That is admitted, the Deputy's question notwithstanding.

Surely the Minister has had some information as to the difficulties of dairy farmers in this connection. For instance, it is not satisfactory to milk dairy cows during the major portion of the year twice in nine hours. Farmers might get over that difficulty by leaving their employees idle for portion of the day, but that is not a course they would care to adopt.

The changing of the districts would not alter the position in any way.

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