Opposition. Farrar was one of the Transvaal delegates to the National Convention in 1908. Farrar was on the Transvaal inner Committee together with Jan Smuts, but Farrar had deep suspicions regarding Botha and Smuts, and distrusted the motivations of "Het Volk" party. Farrar was elected to the first Union Parliament in 1910 as member for Georgetown in Germiston. However, his stay in Parliament was short. In 1911 the Government Mining Engineer ordered an enquiry into irregularities and mismanagement at ERPM. Farrar resigned from Parliament to try to sort out the situation at ERPM. Mining company shareholders of ERPM wanted to oust Farrar from his chairmanship of ERPM, but eventually he was allowed to remain as chairman, provided that there was a complete re-organisation of the mine. W.T. Anderson was appointed as supervising engineer at ERPM towards the end of 1911. In 1913, Farrar was indirectly involved in a confrontation with mineworkers. A newly appointed manager at the New Kleinfontein Mine in Benoni unilaterally changed the working conditions of miners, and miners then came out on strike. Considerable damage occurred during this strike and a number of people were killed. Farrar visited Benoni often during the strike, but refused to meet with the strikers. When the First World War broke out in August 1914 Farrar was on holiday in England. He returned to South Africa and volunteered to serve against Germany. He was appointed assistant quartermaster-general to the South African forces that landed at Luderitz in Namibia (then occupied by Germany). He was charged with clearing the Luderitz-Keetmanshoop railway line that had been damaged by German colonial soldiers, as they retreated into the interior. Farrar got damaged boreholes at Garub between Luderitz and Kubis working to provide 150,000 gallons of water a day for South African troops. Farrar was killed on 19 May 1915 when his railway inspection car collided head first with a train. Although Farrar lived at Bedford Farm he travelled to ERPM daily, first on horseback, then later by car. He regularly attended functions and meetings in Boksburg and had a very paternal relationship with ERPM employees and with other Boksburg residents. Every year Farrar ran a Children's Day for ERPM employees, thanking all helpers personally. He would allow Boksburg residents to organise picnics at Bedford Farm. When Farrar was killed, businesses in Boksburg closed as a mark of respect and several thousand people attended a memorial service