asked the Minister for Lands if he has received a memorandum from the Transport and General Workers Union concerning the working hours of various categories of rural workers; if he will detail the normal working hours per week for (a) quarrying employees and (b) for forestry employees; and if he will comment on the request for a 42½ hour week for forestry workers.

A memorandum on this subject has been received and meetings have been arranged between officials of my Department and representatives of the Unions concerned.

Forestry workers are at present conditioned to a 45 hour week consisting of a 5-day week of nine hours per day for the period February to October, approximately, and a five day week of eight hours per day from Monday to Friday plus five hours on Saturday, forenoon, for the period November to January. I am not in a position to give any authoritative information in regard to working hours of quarry workers.