Year: 1875

An Act to Regulate the Labor System. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of

 the State of Arkansas:

 SECTION 1. That contracts made with laborers or employers beyond the limits of this state shall be as binding as if entered into within the same.

 Sec. ?. Be it further enacted, That contracts for service or la- Dor for longer period than one month shall not entitle the person to the benefits of this act, unless in writing, signed by the parties, and acknowledged before a com petent officer and two disinter- ested witnesses, to be read by the officer. Contracts of married wo- men, executed as above and ap- proved by their husbands within the county, shall be binding; and of minors, so approved by their parents and guardians.

 Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That specific liens are hereby re- served upon so much of the pro- duce raised and articles contract ed or manufactured by laborers during their contracts as will se- cure all moneys, and the value of all supplies furnished them by the employers, and all wages or shares due the laborer, and if either party shall, before settle ment, dispose of or appropriate the same without the consent of the other, so as to defraud him of the amount due, such party shall be deemed guilty of mis- demeanor, and upon conviction may be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars, and confined in the county jail not less than one nor more than six months: Pro- vided, That nothing in this sec tion shall be so construed as for bidding the laborer from mortgag- ing so much of his crop for neces- sary supplies as may be equal to his interest therein at the time, if the employer having contracted to furnish such supplies, fails or re- fuses so to do; and the interest of the laborer in the product of his labor, shall at all times be held to be for thls purpose in the just pro- portion to the amount which would be due at the expiration of the term of service, which the time past of such term bears to the full term of such service.

 Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That, for the purpose of giving notice of the existence of the lien herein provided for, a copy of said contract in writing shall be filed in the recorders office of the proper county, and such filing shall be a sufficient notice of the existence ofsuch lien, and no third party shall be prejudiced by the existence of such lien, nor in any manner liable under the provis- ions of this act unless a copy of contract is filed in the recorders office as above provided. The re- corder or ex-officio recorder shall keep in a suitable book a conven- tent index of all such contracts filed in his office, showing the names of parties, the date of fil- ing, the date of contract, and the time when the lien will expire, for which he shall receive fifty cents for such filing.

 Sec. 5. Be it further enacted, That if any employer shall, with out good cause, dismiss laborer prior to the expiration of his con tract, unless by agreements. he shall, thereupon, be liable to such laborer for the full amount that would have been due him at the expiration thereof, and such labor CT shall be entitled to the lien provided in the preceding section for it's enforcement.

 Sec. 6. Be it further enacted, | That if any laborer shall, without good cause, abandon his employer prior to the expiration of his con ,ract, he shall hereupon be liable % him for the full amount of any account he may owe his employer, md shall forfeit all wages due rom the employer at the time of lis wrongfully leaving, and the of said account.

 Sec. [. Be it further enacted, That proceedings for the enforce nent of liens herein provided, hall be governed in the circuit ourt by the law regulating me hanic's liens, and before justices {