NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2651, 4 January 1905, Page 7

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

I am a, anbaeriber to the Farmer- and' Stock ! _ Breeder, published in Xon- - Who^ Is . don, and I find it a very liable! useful paper. , A great _ many queries' are' sent to it from- farmers and others, and a lawyer -is' .employed by th& proprietor to answer all legal, questions pertaining to "country matterse' -In the last number I find an interesting. query- Trpon. & qoestion of liability to an iajxured workman. ~ The farmer; wlio. ] semfa the* query Bays^ that in. bis part j of the country it isHhe custom to Eire- the- " ■ threshing: plant, together with a driver and feeder. The^ farmers assist, one another by Tending tHeir men, -to* .make- up the, necessary nuioßk- for; -the -threshing; at each--farm- . Tfife- / fexm«r->jn, qjiesiioTi; lfent some" .of Jiis . liaids • td^-a.- neighboar^- hls^^oa;- jOeing^ bnev of'- the " nkmberJ " k JWhile file c threshmgr ; . ■was m<pisogres3, the- 'Boiler oft/thef engfe^ buist, fcflllng a.,maa. and - s^everely r seal Sing; ofcKers. .. -The- farmer's -yras -badly BcaiHed, and" fie- .wantei to laiow: who- waslia^Je.for damages on., account. 'o£ iris sonfs injuries. Ta reply the lawyer said that iir : waff a veory important question, and required to be looked at from the* point .-of view of several acts. Under "The •„ Workmen.'^ Compensation Act, 1900," he' said, the owner of the- threshinff" plant was undoubtedly liable- because the British act cays di*-

tinctly that,, where a contractor, .provides _ma» ;^chinery- for threshing, -ploughing, v and* other "* agricultural '"work, he, .and -he alone, is -liable to. pay compensation to injured' workmen. The reply goes on to cay ' that the farmer whose "grain was -being threshed is also liable, under ' the Workmen's Compensation Aotof 1897 r ,also under "TheEm ; plover's" Liability Act,' 1880,"- and also- under common law.-> • Thie., Threshing" Machines -Act,' the Threshing and Chaffeutting Act, and" the Boilers Explosive Act, the reply says, also- apply to this case^ whereby it is evident there is plenty of protection afforded to agricultural workmen .in^ the United Kingdom. Another query appears -in the same paper dealing' with a rather peculiar case. A farmer has a quarry of road metal on. his farm, and, sells the gravel by the load to anybody who likes to . come and get it. He has nothing to do with quarrying- the • gravel and filling- the drays, but 4 has \ a t4 maxt in. charge' of the pit, and to keep tally of the quantities taken.' Th^ peTsdn in charge warned a man who was undermining the" face "too much. , The man tcok no ' .notice* of the warning, and soon 'after there , was a Tieavy fall from the face, and the ' man .was badly injured. The query is, Who is liable? _/The reply is that the farmer may - be sued" under the "Worfeme'n'c Compensation Act, but, if so, he will have a good' defence, because the man was not in his employ, and, morever, the^man was guilty of- contributory negligence after being • warned. If the man . were carting _fbr i another, his employer would be /and, if /he were> carting on. his- own account "Be^wou'lct have no remedy. ~ --. Another , .farmer/ .inquires- if he is. pliable \ fbr<.--conrpetisatian ■"'fcr 'accidents pupils -pn. r his--'f arm. , ' Bupifoiib'fhe' Old Country 1 are' what .we- "calk cadets 1 heie — namely^, young .nten learjiing- farming, "and .getting, board arid I , 'lodging* free,- but no i wages. ,- The. lawyer, -'contends 'that- this 'i«point: for legal." argument", but is .inclined ..to. the opinion that the- farmer -wouldT be liaHe.-be'caiisefree board an'Ql-'lodging* are a ' consideration for. .value of services, and L may 'be defined 'as v - wages. \ •*,- J "" • v^ ., There has been^ no. lack of rain this season, for the grass and clover > ' Haymaking; Joitf up f or h ay . but it is^ to be hoped that, the wea-' ther will be fine for a week or two for securing the hay. The' proper -time for cutting,-hay js when the' bloom is on or just 'j .parsing- off — if left- much after that , stage" it^goes toe dry and woody.- ' With~ the excellent mowing 'machines and horse rakes of the present _time the cutting and 'cocking of the hay can be expeditiously ..performed if weather is favourable — in great contrast to the old-time method, of scythe and hand ..Jrakes. A > well-built hay cock will not take much harm from "a heavy- shower or two, because the rain cannot get into the?' centre of the-> ,cock, but long exposure Jbo bad weather discolours the hay, and robs it of -much nutritive matter. *Every effort shonld -be made to get the Lay into stack as- soon as it is ready and cured, but it is "better to run the risk of daimage from rain rather than' to put it into stack too' scon, ' and* -have it spoiled hy^" heating- The s ohief object to be kept in view; is to- geY fche hay safely- stacked without losing its good f- colour and-'sweet smell. . . '- - .:- . K \ AGBICOLA. _