FARM SERVANTS' HOLIDAY (SCOTLAND) BILL. (Hansard, 7 April 1914)

§ Mr. ADAMSON

I beg to move, "That leave be given to introduce a Bill to regu- 1820 late the leisure time allowed to farm servants in Scotland; and for other purposes connected therewith."

The object of the Bill which I desire to introduce this afternoon is to secure for the Scottish farm servants a little relief from the life of unremitting toil which has been their lot up to the present time by providing for them a statutory Saturday half-holiday, ample provision being provided in the Bill for the feeding of live stock, and for its suspension during seed time and harvest. I think it only requires to be stated that the general custom in Scotland is for these men to be at work in the stable before six o'clock in the morning, and that they continue at work until after six o'clock in the evening, altogether working about seventy hours per week, for every reasonable person to agree that their demand for a weekly half-holiday is not an exorbitant one. There is a general feeling, shared by many farmers in Scotland, that more leisure must be given to these men, the only points of difference apparently being the amount of leisure to be granted and the means by which it is to be secured. There are a number of those who are interested in the question who are of the opinion that this very desirable reform can be secured by voluntary agreement. With this view I do not agree. Personally, I am convinced, and in this attitude I am strongly supported by the men themselves, that unless there is some compulsory power such as is provided for in this Bill it will be impossible for arrangements to be made for giving these men their Saturday half-holiday.

The best evidence of the failure of an arrangement on a voluntary basis is to be found in the reports of the different farmers' associations when the matter has been discussed. The Scottish Chamber of Agriculture has failed in its efforts to get the affiliated societies to agree to a scheme being prepared for the whole of Scotland. The great majority of the affiliated societies took the view that the matter should be dealt with by the societies locally. The members of the Farm Servants' Union have since tested the value of the suggestion to settle the matter by local agreement, and they have met the representatives of the farmers in conference. Such conferences have been held at Inverness, East Aberdeenshire, Perth, Fife, Midlothian, East Lothian, and Berwickshire. At these conferences it was argued by both sides that arrangements ought to be made for granting 1821 increased leisure. At Inverness, for instance, the representatives agreed to a total of forty-six Saturday half-holidays per year; at Perth the representatives agreed to forty-eight half-holidays; but in both cases the agreement was rejected at full meetings of the farmers afterwards held. In other districts sixteen holidays, including the present recognised holidays, have been suggested, and in many cases even less have been proposed. For instance, in the upper ward of Lanarkshire fourteen half-holidays have been proposed, but these suggestions in every case have only been made by the committee of the society, and, as in the case of Inverness and Perth, there is no guarantee that they would be carried out by the members of these societies. As a matter of fact, it is common knowledge that a number of farmers tried to hire as many men as they could without granting any increase of leisure, and in the districts where the farm servants' organisation is weak they have succeeded. The greatest difficulty in getting arrangements for a half-holiday has been that a number of the farmers have refused to grant the men increased leisure.

The secretary of one of the farm servants' societies in Ayrshire, in answering the demand put forward on behalf of the men for a half-holiday, stated that the members of his committee were of the opinion that a Saturday half-holiday was unworkable. The effect of this has been that even the farmers who have commenced the system have in some cases withdrawn the half-holiday, while others state that until the system is made general they cannot agree. The real difficulty in making a voluntary arrangement is the lack of organisation among the farmers themselves. A large number of the prominent farmers, including members of the Scottish Chamber of Agriculture, have stated that in their opinion the only satisfactory method of securing the half-holiday is by Statute. If such a Bill were passed it would have the effect of creating the necessary organisation among the farmers themselves and would entirely eliminate the fear that the farmers of one district were getting an unfair advantage over the farmers in another district. It would, at the same time, enable them to make the most suitable arrangements for special exemption where that was necessary. In such places as Inverness, West Fife, and Midlothian, where the men's organisation is strong, it may fairly be said that the majority of the 1822 men have secured the half-holiday, and in no case has it been found necessary to increase the number of men employed or to increase the cost of working the farm. Evidence could be given from a number of districts in Scotland where the half-holiday has been in operation, to show that no hardship would be entailed by the passing of such a Bill, but that it would result in the best interests of both the employer and the employé. The men are unanimously in favour of the Bill which I introduce, and in many cases there is a feeling in its favour among the farmers themselves.