Insurance for Farm Workers The Unemployment Insurance Statutory Committee has
now submitted to the Government its report on the feasibility of an insurance scheme for agricultural workers. It recommends that agricultural workers should be brought within the scope of insurance, but under a special scheme with lower contributions and smaller benefits than those provided for under the standard scheme. There may be employees, as well as employers, who will not welcome the proposal. There is little margin in a land labourer's wage for the pay- ment even of small contributions, and employers who have been ready to keep their men on at a loss in off. seasons will be discouraged from doing so when insurance benefits are available. None the less, it is inequitable that the army of agricultural labourers should be deprived of their share of the contributions paid by.-the State to the insurance fund of the working classes. For the proposals for solving the difficulties we must await the publication of the text of the report.
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