CHAPTER VI. 

 CONTINUITY OF EMPLOYMENT. 



IT may be said generally that in regard to what may 

 be called " fixity of tenure " a farm labourer is pretty 

 well off ; and it may also be generally said that farm 

 labourers have not suffered for a long time, and are not 

 now suffering, from the great evil of " unemployment," 

 which has been so rife in other occupations. The 

 reason for this is in a nutshell the chief reason, which 

 will be accounted for presently, being that whilst in 

 many other occupations the labourers are in excess of 

 the demand, in farming the reverse is the case. In 

 fact, the steady and serious decline in the agricultural 

 labouring population is caused not only by the stream 

 of emigration to other countries that has been g*)ing on 

 for some time, but by the fact that farm labourers' 

 sons are now more than ever found to prefer town 

 occupations, instead of following those of their fathers. 



Taking the country through, it may be said that 

 there is more fixity of tenure for the labourer in the 

 northern than in other counties, and this is because 

 the large majority of the men employed are engaged 

 for longer periods, mostly half-yearly or yearly ; and 

 they are paid regular wages without deduction for 

 sickness or wet weather. This applies chiefly to the 

 ordinary farm labourer. The same system generally 

 prevails in other parts of the country so far as regularity 

 of employment is concerned, but the practice varies 



somewhat in the case of men engaged in the care of 



38 



