THE FARMER AND HIS SONS.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13093, 18 April 1908, Page 4

THE FARMER AND HIS SONS.

EFFECT OF AN INDUSTRIAL AWARD. 7

A probable effect of an award affecting farm labourers, based on the demands of the Farm Labourers' Union, was referred to at some length by Mr Janus Hay, of Temuka, in the course of hie evidence before tho Conciliation Board yesterday. Mr Hay took the case of a small farmer employing his three sons on his farm who, prior to. tho coming into effect of tho award, pook-d their interests; this wouJd not bo possible under the award. Although tho farmer did not pay his sons wages, such wages would be a recoverable debt for si\ j-ears. Assuming; that ho paid each 20e a week in addition to their keep, tJie farmer would bo going into debt to his sons to the amount of £150 per annum. How was that farmer to get credit? In nine cases out of ten tho farmer of the class he was referring to was financed by one of tho mercantile companies; if ho wanted a lino of sheep he got it without any money being put down, provided he put it through the company's hands later. Whilst tho farmer had the unpaid labour of his tliree sons ho was perfectly safe in doing this, and the mercantile companies were perfectly safe in giving him credit; but if tho companies knew that the farmer's sons, despite any contract made, had put up in six years a wages account of £900, then no juercantilo firm ' could possibly finance a man in that position. If the farmer became bankrupt it was possible that almost tho wholo of his estate would go to his family—they would at least have a prior claim on four months' and would be entitled to dividends on the remainder. And tho trouble was tliat tho sons could not contract themselves out of the wages duo. Mr Thorn: A good way of conserving the family interest! Mv Hay: A capital way! It's tho old device of the fraudulent bankrupt that we have 6een over and over again. Wo used to call this sort of thing fraudulent bankruptcy, but under an award it would l>e law and it would bo sound. There would have to be legislation to get over the matter. Another curious result, if the farmer became bankrupt, would bo that ho would 1 be unablo to g?t his discharge until the youn.pjost child came of age and 1 all his children released him. It was not a fanciful case ho had put, but one of frequent, almost daily, occurrence. A farmer found that his best asset was that ho had sons working for him without wages. Mercantile companies could advance, him stock or assist him in other ways, as they knew that if it came to a smash, what was loft would go to tho creditors and not to tho family. The operation of an award in the direction ho had 1 indicated would cripple a very considerable number of small farmers in his district.