MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. 



69 



21 October, 1919.] 



MR. A. H. POTTS. 



[Continued. 



whatever it may be. 48 or 50 or when it was 54 and 

 you cannot fix a minimum wage without arranging 

 some scale of hours for which a man shall be paid 

 on a weekly basis, but we have always encouraged the 

 idea that the men should be at liberty to work 

 overtime beyond those fixed number of hours if it is 

 necessary. We have been told in some cases that the 

 men object to work overtime and that that was the 

 real trouble the farmer had to meet. When we came 

 down to hard facts we could not trace that disinclina- 

 tion to work overtime except in a very few cases. 

 Of course, there always will be a solitary case of that 

 kind here and there. There were, as I say, a few 

 cases where that happened, but the men as a rule 

 are always willing to go on working overtime at 

 special times of the year if they are asked to do it?- 

 That has been my experience. 



15.480. Mr. Kuhbins : Do you object to the inclu- 

 sion of agriculture in tho Hours Bill because if agri- 

 culture were included it would not be possible for the 

 farmer to do what he is at liberty to do now, that is 

 to contract with his workers for any number of hours 

 work that he thinks necessary? -That ie what I 

 understand was the case at a meeting of farmers on 

 Saturday last. 



15.481. That is apparently your objection to the 

 Hours Bill? That is so. 



15.482. Mr., Smith: Do I understand that the 

 farmers want overtime to be worked systematically 

 every week of the year? No, the men want regular 

 hours, but in busy times I think they expect that 

 they will be called upon to work extra hours so as 

 to get the hay in and the corn harvest in. Those are 

 the only times we do call upon them to work any 

 overtime. 



15.483. It would only be on such occasions as that 

 that you would want longer hours to be worked? 

 That is so. 



15.484. There is nothing in this Bill which has been 

 spoken of to prevent that? I did not know that; I 

 have been informed that it is otherwise. 



15.485. Overtime rates are specially provided for in 

 the Bill. Part of the proposal in the Bill is to fix 

 rates for overtime. Surely they would not fix rates 

 for overtime if it was proposed to prohibit overtime 

 from being worked, would they? No, I suppose not. 



15.486. Therefore, speaking 'as a farmer, so far as 

 overtime is concerned you would only want it worked 

 on special occasions? That is so. 



15.487. Mostly at times of the gathering of the 

 crop? Yes. 



15.488. Have you any ideas as to what your return 



is likely to be for this year. Does your year end 

 at Michaelmas? At the 31st May. 



15.489. Have you any ideas as to what your posi- 

 tion is likelv to be this year from the point of view 

 of profit? Yes, it will be quite a different year this 

 it will be a serious year owing to the tremendous 

 drought more than anything else. 



15.490. Which means there will be a poor yield? 

 Yes. 



15.491. In regard to the future of agriculture have 

 you formed any opinion as to how the industry could 

 be helped by national effort in any way such as im- 

 proved transport or scientific research or things of 

 that description? That is rather a big question to 

 ask, but I think that if things were systematised in 

 districts transport could be cheapened and horses 

 could be practically done away with. 



15.492. In that respect it would be helpful to the 

 industry ? Yes. 



15.493. In so far as economies are effected in that 

 direction it would help the industry to stand these 

 improved conditions for the workers? I could not 

 say that it would. 



15.494. If there were economies effected it would 

 certainly help in that direction, would it not? Yes, 

 if we could prove that there would be economies 

 obviously it would give us a better opportunity. 



15.495. I understand you to say that in your 

 opinion a proper organised system of transport would 

 result in economies? I think it should be tried 

 that is what I mean to say to see if the horse cost 

 and the mechanical cost could be cheapened. 



15.496. If successful economies were effected it 

 would help you in regard to providing better con- 

 ditions for the workers? Yes. 



15.497. That would be a desirable thing? Yes. 



15.498. Mr. \Vnlkrr: Have you any personal know- 

 ledge of what happened before the Joint Committee 

 which dealt with the question of this proposal of a 

 48 hours week? No. 



15.499. Where did you get your information from 

 with regard to the question Mr. Bobbins put to you 

 and which you answered a moment or two ago so far 

 as the working of the 48 hours is concerned? I got 

 my information at a meeting of farmers in 

 Newcastle on Saturday last. That is the impression 

 I gather generally. 



15.500. You think now that that impression was a 

 wrong one when you find that provision has been 

 made for tho working of overtime? Yes. 



15.501. Have you seen the Bill at all that proposes 

 it have you read the Bill? I have not. I am 

 afraid farmers have no time to rend'Bills. 



(The Witness withdrew.) 



MtTO 



