THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1810, 24 July 1913, Page 8

THE HOUSE.

The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. ■ . Mr.', G. W. RUSSELJy (Avon) gave notice to ask thfTGovernment when tenders would be called for the new Parliamentary Buildings, and on what date it was contemplated that the building should be .completed. . . " -. LOCAL BILLS. The following Bills,'introduced by Mr. Robertson, on behalf of Mr. Veitch, were read a first time, and referred to the Local Bills Committee:—Wanganui Borough Council Street Access Empowering Bill, Wanganui Borough Council Special Rate Empowering and Special Loan Bill. WORKERS', COMPENSATION. SOME SUGGESTED EXTENSIONS. The Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Prime Minister) introduced the,Workersr Compensation Amendment Bill. Mr. H. POLAND (Ohinemuri) said that he did not know the nature of the Bill-introduced by the Prime Minister, but he was satisfied that it would not go as-far-aS he and some other members of the House desired it to go.. The maxi-, mum payments made to injured workers under the New- Zealand Act was fifty per cent, of their earnings, and the maximum period of payment was sis years. In Germany the maximum payment was equivalent to the ' full earnings of a worker, and, if necessary, payments continued for life. ■ It was true that tho Gorman scheme was contributory, , while tho New Zealand.scheme was not, but in. this country, too, it was the workers who actually bore the cost of the scheme. He contended that the maximum compensation should equal the full earnings of a worker, and it should start from the date of injury,'instead of seven days afterwards. Twenty-one accident insurance companies were permitted to operate in New Zealand, with tho result that .£73,000 .annually went in expenses of administration, leaving only i'Bo,ooo to be distributed to injured workers. If there, .was any branch of insurance business which, should bo made a State monopoly ,it was this. This course being taken,, all the reforms that he was advocating would cost tho employer very little more than he paid to-day. At present there was too much litigation in connection with insurance claims, and workmen were frequently induced to accept much less than they were entitled to in equity. Mr. Poland cited the report of a case heard at Auckland before Mr. Justice Sim. The Judge stated, he said, that the agent of the insurance company took advantage of tho poverty and ignorance of the plaintiff' in the case to bustle him into signing an agreement, the full effect of whidh. he did. not understand. Such, cases, Mr. ' Poland continued, were occurring, every day. He attacked the existing legal provision in regard to pneumoconiosis, contending that to award JCSO to tho victim of such a disease was farcical.

Mr, T. M. WII/fOKD (Hutt supported 'what Mr. Poland had said, and contended that claimants under the Workers' Compensation Act should have the ,right of immediate reference to the Magistrate's Court. Magistrates should have 1 power to assess the compensation due to an injured worker tliero and then. Mr. J. H. BRADNEY (Auckland West) agreed that compensation should begin, on the date of injury, but said that to pay more than fifty per cent, of earnings as compensation would severely burden the small employer, who could not pass it on. He did not agree that, the elimination of the competition among insurance companies and thio establishment of a Government monopoly would bring'about a reduction in rates. Lower premiums would now be payable if the Government had encouraged a competibivo system.

Matter for Local Bodies. Mr. G. V. PEARCE (Patea) thought that too large premiums wero required from local bodies and farmors, tho occupation of whoso employees was not hazardous. Farmers' mutual insurance companies ought, ho urged, to bo allowed to establish, schemcs of accident insurance. He agreed, also that tho companies frequently tried to "jockey" men. out of their compensation. Tlio companies kept expert lawyers to beat tho men. His own exporienco had b&en so bad that ho had.ceased insuring, and he now paid his men full wag?:s 'when they were injured. He stated also that tho lire rates wore too high in tho country. Mr. H. G. ELL (Christchurch South) supported Mr. Poland's proposition that all tho compensation business now done by tho companies should bo withdrawn from them and taken up wholly by the State. < • Mr. A. E. GLOVER (Auckland Central) spoke on similar lines. Mt. C. A. WILKINSON (Stratford) thought there ought to bo some contributory scheme for tha insuranco of workers. Certainly now tho combined companies exacted premiums which wero too high. Ho would bo in favour of making accident insurance o State monopoly. Mr. R. M'CALLTJM (Wairau) also urged, that th» State should take up all accident insurance, requiring no premiums, but taking the extra, revenue from graduated land tax, income tax, and from the totalisatoi 1 . Mr. ,T. PAYNE (Grey Lynn) supported the proposal that thto GoYarnment should make accident insurance a State mono. "St. J. H. ESCOTT (Pahiatua) urged that local bodies and fanners should be given powoT to establish their own accident insurance fund. : Mr. H. M. CAMPBELL (Hawkos Bay) said ho wa9 opposed to monopolies, and therefore opposed to the establishment of a State monopoly. He had dealt with tho State, and with the companies, and' ho had found all about iemialb; bad, If there

was a loophole they would shuffle out of their obligations if they could. Debate Not Wasted. The Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Prime Minister) said tho debate had been by no means wasted, for ho had heard several valuable suggestions, some of which ho might give effect to in tho Bill. Ho had no sympathy with the sharp practices of somo insurance companies, and if he could put a stop to them lie would do it. Hla was not m favour of a State monopoly, which could be just as oppressive and mischievous as a private monopoly. He a<freed with tho member for Patea that tf>B larger local bodies and tho farmers' mutual associations should be allowed to set up insurance funds of their own, ibut he did not think this Bill would be the proper one to dead with the question. Later there would be the Counties Bill and the Municipal Bill. In reply to Mr. Wilford, he was glad to bo able to say that the draft of tho Bill contained the provision which he asked for—that magistrates should have power to assess compensation Tho Bill was introduced and read a first time. " METHODIST UNION BILL. The Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Prime Minister), when called upon to move the Methodist Union Bill, said that on looking.through tho Bill "he discovered that it was a private Bill. Unfortunately it had not been advertised as the Standing Orders required, the reason being that previous Bills dealing with church matters had been treated bv previous Parliaments as public Bills, 'five Bill was an important one, intended to give cffect to the union of t'lio Methodist and the Primitive Methodist Churches. In the circumstances he found it necessary to move the Standing Orders in regard to private Bills be suspended in order to allow the Mothodist Union Bill to be introduced as a public Bill and to. proceed as such. No objection was raised, and l thft Bill was introduced and read a first time.

AN IMPORTANT RULING, THE DISCUSSION OF PAPERS. Mr. SPEAKER said that on. the pre-' vious day, whon certain audit papers were referred to tho Public Accounts Committee, he had' stated that when papers were referred to a committee they coukl not be discussed by the House until they had been reported upon by that committee. In dodng so he had quoted a ruling by Mr. Spealter O'Rorke, which agreed with his own. One honourable member had raised a question! as to whether thero had not been a ruling in a contrary direction by tho late Speaker, Sir Arthur Guinness. By the wi3h of the House he had deferred his decision' .until that day, in order that he might look up authorities. He had done so, and could not find any ruling contrary to his own. In fact, he had found some additional rulings which supported his own. One by the late Speaker, given last session, was that whenthe Estimates 'had been referred to the Public Accounts Committee, the first item could not be discussed until the committee had reported upon them. Mr. Speaker therefore ruled that papers referred to a committee could not •bo discussed or quoted from until the committee had reported. He added .that it had been tho custom in the past to refer audit papers to the Public Accounts .Committee, and no inconvenience had arisen. Mr. G. Vf. RUSSELL (Avon) , asked the Prime Minister, in view of Mr. Speaker's ruling, to arrange that the papers referred to the Public Accounts Committee should be dealt with at the earliest possible moment, so that members might not be at a disadvantage in discussing financial questiona. The PRIME MINISTER said that lie would be very glad to do so. • He understood, he added, that Mr. Speaker's ruling would not prevent the House dealing with matters mentioned in a paper referred to a committee. If this were not so, a wicked Government, knowing that some awkward question was coming up, might have a paper dealing with that question and others referred to the Public Accounts Committee, and then it would be impossible for the.House to discuss it until a report came from the committee, which might be towards the end of the session. Mr. RUSSELL said that in view of tho Tuling it would be impossible for members to deal with matters contained in a paper because, if they were challenged, they would be unable to produce authority for their statements. Apart from audit papers, others came into prominence in connection with the Financial Debate, and it might leave financial matters in a. very awkward position if ever tho time came—he' hoped it '.never would —when they had a wicked Government on the Treasury benches. Mr. SPEAKER said that,. although papers were before a committee, that would not prevent matters mentioned in the papers being discussed. Members, however, must not -deal directly with these papers. ; To a question by Mr. Wilford, the Speaker replied that while a paper was before a committee a new*spaper could not utilise it in any way.