I move the following motion, which stands in the names of Senators Campbell, Cummins, Tunney, and myself:—
That Seanad Eireann is of opinion, complementary to the announcement of increased minimum prices for certain agricultural products, it is essential to increase substantially wages payable to agricultural workers and to effect reasonable amelioration of their conditions of employment, and requests that the necessary steps to these ends be taken immediately.
It is a pity that this motion is coming on at such a late hour, because I regard it as one of the utmost importance. We have been discussing the price of wheat. As far as the farmer is represented in this House, it is agreed that the price arranged for wheat is a fair price. It is important to note that, but I do not think anyone will admit that the rate of wages paid to agricultural labourers is a fair one. I do not think anybody professing Christianity could stand over the wages that are being paid to our agricultural labourers. Speaking on the motion dealing with the price of wheat, we on these benches advocated an increase in order that those engaged in agriculture should have a reasonable standard of living. We had in mind all the people engaged in agriculture. The farmer, apparently, is pretty well satisfied with the price arranged for the wheat crop. We are speaking on behalf of the neglected men in agriculture. We have about 100,000 farm labourers. They are split into three groups for the purpose of arranging what is termed a wage by the Agricultural Wages Board, a body set up by the Government. In group I, the rate arranged is 30/- a week, and in group II, it is 31/6 a week. In the vicinity of big cities and large centres of population the rate is 36/- a week. Nobody will try to defend a wage of that standard. I am sure nobody in this House could possibly maintain himself on that much money, not to talk of having to rear and educate a family. It could not be done on such a miserable wage with anything approaching comfort.
In view of the national emergency we are trying to induce the farmers to produce more crops, particularly wheat; but satisfying the farmers is not sufficient. We must have a contented body of agricultural labourers if we are to get the best possible results from our campaign to grow more wheat. Amongst the 100,000 agricultural labourers are the men who will be expected to man the defences in the event of invasion. This is how we treat them—giving them wages such as I have alluded to.
There are certain social evils from which this country has been, and is, suffering. I will instance the overcrowding of the cities and, latterly, the great flood of emigration, the exodus of the people who ought to be tilling the land and producing food for the nation. We do not suggest it is possible to remedy all those evils at the present time, but it is possible to give these people covered by the motion a wage that will enable them to attain a reasonable standard of living. Immediately across the water there is a minimum wage of £3 a week being paid to workers, and a person does not have to be over 20 years of age to get that amount.
The Minister for Agriculture, in his wisdom—and I agree with him up to a point—is refusing to give permits to our agricultural labourers to go across there and get the benefit of that higher rate of wages. He is preventing people going where there is a reasonable standard of wages provided for their labour—and that is all they have, their labour. Other people are prepared to pay a fair price for it. Are we going to keep these people at home and compel them to exist on the miserable standards which we have set out for them? The farmers are fairly well satisfied, but are these men going to be satisfied? Are these men going to make the effort we expect from them in order to produce the nation's food if we are indifferent to the standard of comfort at which they ought to live?
I do not anticipate opposition from any part of the House in connection with this motion. I am sure every Senator appreciates the situation just as much as I do. These men are absolutely unorganised. They have no one to plead their case and, consequently, we have to do what is obviously our duty to these downtrodden people, irrespective of whether they are Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or Labour. They are citizens of this country and they are prepared to give the labour that we require so badly. Therefore, it is our simple duty to pay them a wage on which they can maintain themselves and their families in a reasonable standard of comfort.
I do not think I need occupy the time of the House very much longer, because I do not see any reason why this motion should be opposed by any section. In order to save time, I should like to refer to the amendment in the name of Senator Counihan. I know he has given the matter a good deal of consideration and, when forming the amendment, has called into counsel a number of wise heads. He mentions in his amendment a committee of experts. I suggest that what he wants is a committee of magicians, because their job would be to increase the wages of the labourers without any loss to the farmers. We have already had experts; we saw them performing on various committees and we know their ability to perform. If we got together a committee of experts to deal with this simple matter, I believe the harvest for 1943 would be in before they would have their minds made up.