Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1889-05-24
HOLIDAYS ON FARMS.
How to Avoid Unpleasant Disputes wi
Help Hired by the Month.

How to Avoid Unpleasant Disputes with
Help Hired by the Month.
In hiring help It is often questiona-
BILE both to the employer and employed
as to the number OF holidays tho
laborer is entitled to, II any, and also
rs to chores or work that is TO be dono
on Sunday. Help hired by the month
or year is generally expected to do the
necessary feeding on Sunday the same rs
on week days, but only necessary work.
IL other work is done 1t should be re-
garded MS extra.
In respect to the other legal holi-
days. These differ somewhat in differ
ont States. In Missouri there arc four
legal hol idays-New Years Day, Fourth
Of July, Thanksgiving, whatever day
that may be appointed for, and Christ
mas Day. Custom in different locali-
ties will increase this list considerably.
February %, Decoration Day, Good
Friday, Ash Wednesday and large
number of other days are allowed in
different localities as holidays, yet
strictly speaking, they are not legal,
and If taken without the consent OF tho
employers, may be counted rs time lost
by the employe. Help hired by the
month or year are entitled to legal
holidays, and If they worS, are entitled
to pay. If, for religious or other rea-
sons, more than the legal holidays arc
wanted, an agreement should be made
to that effect, so that both shall under
stand the matter, for often the claim
ing of n day not legally holiday may
cause loss to the employer several
times more valuable than the wages of
the hired man would amount to.
There is no specific law in reference
to the number of hours that constitute
days work on the farm. The Gov
ernment considers eight hours a days
work, usually commencing at eight
o'clock in the morning, the men work.
ing four hours until noon, and then
four hours from one o'clock until five.
In railroad, and in fact, in nearly all
kinds of day labor, whether mechan-
ical or common work, ten hours consti-
tute a days labor-commencing at
seven and quitting at six, with an
farm there is no general custom or
rule, unless it be to quit the field ut,
sundown, and do the chores after that
time.
Some farmers work more hours than
others, and usually the farmer hiring
help expects his hands to work as many
hours as himself If either is particu-
lar on this point, the best rule is always
to make an agreement as to what shall
be considered days work; and in JUS
tice to both the chores should always
be taken into consideration, as on
some farms where there is a large
number of stock kept the chores will
add considerably to the number of hours
the help will be obliged to work.
1t will in many cases avoid unpleas-
ant dispute if, in hiring, an agreement
is drawn up specifying the number of
holidays, the hours of work and when
and how payments are to be made.
Labor is entitled to fair pay for all
work done. But at times hired help
is worth much more to the farmer than
at others, and this tact should be taken
into consideration.
The old custom was that If help was
hired for n certain length of time for n
given amount and failed to work the
time out the employer was not liable to
pay anything. But the law in different
States varies considerably on this point.
The employer as a rule must now pay
proportionately for the time actually
served. Cor. st. Louis Republic.