A

BILL

INTITULED

An Act to facilitate the preparation of Agricultural A.D. 1924. Statistics.

E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, 5 as follows:

returns.

1.-(1) The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Power to may, in any year by notice served on the occupier of any require agricultural land in England or Wales or the person having the management of any such land, require him to 10 make within such time, not being less than twenty-eight days, as is specified in the notice, and in such form and to such person as the Minister may prescribe by regulations made under this Act, a return in writing for that year of the acreage of land in cultivation, specifying the 15 acreage of the several crops thereon, and of the acreage of land in fallow or used for grazing and of the live stock thereon, and, if the occupier is also the owner of the land, that fact shall be stated in the return.

(2) No individual return or part of a return made 20 under this Act shall be used, published or disclosed, except for the purposes of the preparation and publication by the Minister of agricultural statistics or of a prosecution under this Act.

(3) (a) Any person who refuses, or without lawful 25 excuse, neglects to make a return required under this Act to be made by him shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five pounds.

A.D. 1924.

Application to Scotland

and extent.

Short title.

(b) If a return made under this Act is untrue in any material particular, the person by whom the return was made shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding ten pounds, if it is proved that he knowingly made such untrue return.

(4) Any person who uses, publishes, or discloses contrary to the provisions of this Act any individual return or part of a return shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.

5

(5) This section does not apply in any case where 10 the total acreage of the agricultural land occupied by a person does not exceed one acre.

(6) Any notice under this Act may be served on the person to whom it is addressed either personally or by post, and, in the case of a notice to an occupier, may be 15 addressed to "the occupier" without naming him.

66

(7) The expression agricultural land" includes land used as grazing, meadow, or pasture land, or orchard, and any land used wholly or mainly for the purpose of the trade or business of a market-gardener or nurseryman. 20 (8) Before any regulation is made under this Act, a draft thereof shall be laid before each House of Parliament, and, if an address is presented to His Majesty by either House of Parliament within the next subsequent twenty-eight days on which that House has sat against 25 the draft or any part thereof, no further proceedings shall be taken thereon but without prejudice to the making of any new draft regulation.

2. (1) This Act in its application to Scotland shall have effect with the substitution of references to the 30 Board of Agriculture for Scotland for references to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and of a reference to Scotland for the reference to England or Wales, and with the further modification that the definition of agricultural land shall be extended so as to include land used 35 as a deer forest.

(2) This Act shall not extend to Northern Ireland.

3. This Act may be cited as the Agricultural Returns Act, 1924.

ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES.

Clause.

1.

2.

3.

Establishment of agricultural wages committees and an Agricultural Wages Board.

Duties and powers of agricultural wages committees with respect to minimum rates of wages.

Confirmation of rates fixed by committees.

4. Complaints as to inadequate payment for piece work where no minimum piece rate has been fixed.

5.

Power of Agricultural Wages Board to request committee to fix, cancel or vary minimum rates of wages.

6. Power of Agricultural Wages Board to fix, cancel or vary minimum rates in certain cases.

7.

8.

9.

Power of the Minister to direct the reconsideration of minimum rates.

Penalties and legal proceedings.

Regulations.

14.

Evidence of resolutions and orders of committee and Board.

15. Saving of agreements, &c.

16. Application to county of London.