An Unfair Law.

Patea Mail, Volume XXXIX, 24 June 1914, Page 2

An Unfair Law.

Tpfn Clerks and company officials /throughout the Dominion have long been labouring under great disadvantages with regard to the present state of the law dealing with liens and what are familiarly known as " orders." It seemo to us grossly unfair that the secretory of a company whose duties as a rule are quite onerous enough for the amount of salary furnished him, should bo forced to undertake grave responsibilities and extra duties for the benefit of a third paity and for which ho roceives no extra reoiuueration whatsoever. In the case of secretaries of dairy companies the position is at times a seiious one, particularly in these days wben share«milking is steadily on the iacreaeo. In a company with from 100 to 200 'suppliers if " Oiriera " on the monthly chujues ara givou by 30 of tho euppliers OQiy,«tlio item is a formidable one for the uufortunato secretary. Whea two or oior* orders are given by

the same individual, a 8 is very often the caee, the position becomes more complicated still, The secretary has to keep a tally of each order given and the priority in which it has been received ind has to watch that the [supplier who has given the order does not reooive a greater amount taan he is entitled to, and in addition the secretary has to make out the extra cheques for the persons in whose fayour the orderß are made. Added to this, the secretary ia held personally liable for any error he may make in either paying out the wrong amount to any individual or in forgetting to make out the extra cheque in the terms of the order. Fir all this extra work and heavy responsibility he reoeivesnothing. The suppliers may hand in as many orders as they please each of which the secretary is bound to honour under the penalty of himself paying over the amount expressed in the order and is at the same time afforded no protection whatsoever. It is a case of " heads " the " other fellow " wins and tails the poor unfortunate clerk or secretary loses evety time. At Hamilton recently the Borough Council was forced to pay out of pocket some £53 in satisfaction of certain liens which through an oversight had not been duly honoured. It S9ems to us quite time the law was altered in the direction of protecting those who at present are compelled to act as honorary debt collectors with heavy responsibilities oo their shoulders but with no recompense whatever.