EXTRACTS FROM 'HANSARD.'

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2183, 26 July 1889, Page 2

EXTRACTS FROM 'HANSARD.'

Speaking on tfao Bight Honra Bill. Mr Buxton Bald: -Sir, 1 do not make It a praotloe to take up maoh of the time of the House Id Bpeeohifylßg, bat I wish to aay a fe* worda upon this Bill. It, is oertalnly a ohort »nd caaolse little BUI, bat what It m3»na I oaonot a.y. It seems to me thst lc needa very great alteration Indeed, from « farmer a point . f view. The honorable morab :r l>v Sydenbam may have a grlev/»n0.3 affeotincr nts own district ; bat from what 1 have saen as a farmec I do not think there is the alight. -at necessity for tho BUI. If thin Bill becomes lair we might have serious complalnta that we hava never had before. It would gre»t!y interfere with the dv las of farm-servants, from whom I Lavo heard complaints hitherto. It maat be known to most honorable members In this House that fanu-eecvanta are supposed to rise «t six m the m.irulrjg aod atiend to their horses, that they work their botaoa darlog the day, and that at five o'olock In the afternojn thoy ag»ia attend to their horses. When I o*mo to New Z -aland twenty-three years *r<o, I ff, B highly rfullsFhtfld on finding the hours that prevailed, for they were at ■• "tl J^T 3 a 4 * leaa th - au l ha <* been ■m the habit of working m the Old Country; and v appeared to me thit the old system was a very luxury lnde.d, and we vlmoaUooked upon it that wo had fallen into the )«nd we had beard v of, which iiowa with mi.k and hor.ey. During the twenty-three years I have been m tfew Zealand I have not known that farraaervants wer.atall diatatiafi,d with this oastom. Men who have horsea at work o£ oparee, mast look after them, for no 090 what they require -the foM they.rcquiro— as tho 8 e v idorstand who are workiog the horses. Then, this Bi.l makes no .provision' : for harveattitne. it must be known that it would be a great inconvenience ie a man eaid, after eight houra' work, th»t he would do no moro unless hi was paid aomefchiajr extra. Farmere,,aß « rule, Sir, do not attempt to pay their men shabbily. In the harve'tUme they expect them to work all the hours that there ft-day.lljhVabd them-n aro to ho well paia lor what they do. The farmefa pay a shilling an hour m haivoat time and give food, and there ar* no oomplaluis oa the part of the men that -hey work too h«d or too long. At »uy cate, I havo never heard any complaints' from men In my employment. I have novor yot.knowu an Inatanoe In whioh men have onmplalued that the hours are too long. Eight hours Is the ordinary tlm* of tabor throughout the optony ; It U a aood caatom j but I think |t fs doing wrong, iioiug toof>ir,.to brlpg the matter: before th'i Honse with a view of regqlatlng the thing by Act of parliament. It has been the law, or the custom, eve* ulnoe I have bien m New Zeal.nd; and why should we want to Interfere by legislation 1 I hava uot the ollghteat heslia.tion In saylnc that 1 shall vote against the second read Ing of iha Bill, and I have no fe»r that' >ay employ^ of the faruw-i vrlll fiod fanlt with me on acoount of my vote. I d.o not see the slightest reaaon, bo far aa faronto B dlatrlots are oonoerned, why th» \k\ I ehould have been broaub^ f/ rvVßr( j B ] to domestic flQ « ?a - Dtß) oiboir-a It would Dn to pass a Bill of this sort dealing with them. We hoard the other day from th<j honerablo member foi Llnooln that tho formora m Oanterbnry were In a <arl Rt =to of dUtresH, 1 will U ot mention tho remarks bo marla, but I will aayl wai very muoh surpcised to he »r them. The farmers of Oantarbury «re not In BUch dletresa as tho honorable member represented, as fdr as I. at any rate, haye 1 observed. I m«y aay that I lived for three ysara In the Immediate neighborhood of the honorable member for Lincoln, and the people there maat have, gpn'e down <rery mnoh alnoe I wag th>a lithe story which fche honorable g^nMeman tells of ham ia true. Tho farmer*, Sir, look after thoic wives and families, and also after tboir domestic oervaote, too well for anything of that sort to take place whioh the hoiior.ible momber for Ltcooln talks about. Bat I do not think that this Bill would work well as regards either domestlo servants or fsrm-satvautß, and therefore I shall vote acrainat it