CHAP. 12.—MINIMUM WAGE IN AGRICULTURE 103

As auxiliaries to the minister, agricultural wages committees are
to be established, these committees to be composed of a chairman and
vice chairman, two members chosen by representative committees of
workers and two in the same way by landowners possessing more
than 10 yokes? of land—one of the latter to be chosen by landuwners
 possessing between 10 and 100 yokes, and one by owners
Possessing more than 100 yokes. (Arts. 3,4.) In addition, Tour substitute
 members are to be chosen for each committee in the same way.
These committees shall fix minimum wages, taking into account the
working capacity, age, and sex of the workers, and the nature of
their work. (Art. 9.) Any member of the committee or the competent
 inspector may submit to the minister a protest against the
decision of the committee fixing the wage. The minister, having all
the documents before him, issues the decree fixing the minimum wage.
The law provides penalties for infringements of the wage orders
by employers and also authorizes workers to sue them for the differ.
vid between the wages paid and those fixed by wage orders. (Art.
1.

Principle of Wage Fixation

No instructions are given to the boards, but as the test for start.ng
proceedings under the law is nonpayment of a living wage in
a given region, that principle must obviously be taken into account
in fixing the minimum wage.

Application of the Law

IN 1926, 198 committees had been set up. Forty-eight took action
during the year. Minimum wage rates were in force in 759
Communes. No complaints from workers that wages lower than those
fixed had been paid to them had reached the Minister of Agriculture.
No agent intrusted with enforcement of the rules reported any infringement
 of the determinations. The minister states it to be his
Opinion that: “ The wage rates fixed by the commissions have had a
beneficial influence on the wages of agricultural day laborers.” 23

POLAND

[DISPUTES in agricultural enterprises are covered by an arbitration
 act passed in 1919. Both parties to such disputes must
submit them to conferences arranged by the inspectors of agricultural
labor, using a conciliation or arbitration board consisting of repre-Sentatives
 of both sides, under an impartial chairman; otherwise
they are fined. Agreements so arrived at bind not only the parties
to the agreement but all agriculturists of the region.

# Yoke=1,422 acres.
* International Labor Office. Siudies and Reports, series D (wages and hours of
¥ork), No. 17: Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery. Geneva, 1927, p. 152.
* Burns, E. M.: Wages and the State. London, 1926, p. 112.