WORKERS' COMPENSATION

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 60, 8 September 1926, Page 14

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

| j OFFICER TO VISIT CANADA

5 MO EVOLyE IMPBOVED SYSTEM.

« 38 It is proposed that the head of 5 e-':the Government Insurance Office ■jj! shall visit Canada in the coming g Parliamentary ■'■ recess in order to JJ inquire into the workers' compen- * sation system in.operation there. t , ; In making this announcement in the '.-fij legislative Council yesterday,, in the >» i|J«pirae of discussion of tho Workers' i* Compensation ■ Amendment Bill, the * Wader of the Council (the Hon. Sir E. '■'£■■ Hlaton Bhbdes) said that the Ontario £ system was probably the best known, 5 and that in operation in Manitoba was £ similar. Therel wereother States which 3 tad schemes which practically amounti. e%» to Government monopoly, the basis 5[ being compulsion. It was desired to 5 sep whether New Zealand, could not 5 place on hor Statute Book a scheme. : 2 similar to those of Canada, or perhaps ,J embodying the best features of those f schemes. At any rate, it was hoped . » jo evolve a scheme which was very S jnuch better than our" present system. 4 The time had arrived, declared the | Hon. W. H. M'lntyre, when the State make a monopoly of workers' /«} (Compensation. It was not right that 3 profits should be made by private com- *; ponies out of the workers in connec--5* jtion with compensation.. New Zealand j» jwas undoubtedly, backward in regard !|jj jtcK' provision for insurance of workers >' against accident. The speaker said he .ft had hafr experience of the treatment *j' of private accident insurance comJ* panics, and he declared they evaded 13 jtheir obligations. ~- "They are absolutely merciless," in--5 Jterjeeted the Hon. L. M. Isitt. t'»""' The majority of countries the '■?. World had adopted a pension system in $. favour to a; lump sum payment. $ JTOT -WHAT THEY MIGHT APPEAR . '•* T: ■ '\ TO BE.. ■ ..- ■ ■ "■' j « The Hon.- T. S.. Weston said he *'• {thought' the.Ontario system was not all <! that waa spoken about it, or that we .«! blight imagine about it at this dis- % jtance. Only the previous night, a publi- ;« ration had reached him which stated 3 that the province of Quebec, adjoining *!■. Ontario had just adopted a system '"Si Which depended•upon private, companT, les, as we did in New Zealand. That ',«j Was "a very extraordinary thing, as so >l touch had been spoken of' the other S' Canadian systems in the last two or uj three years. Some of the American sys,3 tsma'were ■ more liberal than the New " Zealand, and- some less, and taking £ everything by and large it would projj bably be found that the, New Zealand "' system gave as much in compensation ;$■ as any other country except New South * ,l|»le8. ' He asked'members to suspend 3 Jardgment nntil .a report-, was obtained. 3 Hon. Mark Cohen "said he had j* "made'inquiries in California,' j |jd he was satisfied that it would'be *• n<prth- our while-to try to follow; the «* example set,there. 21 -SThe Hon. J. Barr said the New Zeasystem was far behind those of Other countries, and very much . more costly in administration. It. was highly yffesirable that an investigation should be made on the spot in Canada, British »Columbia, and Manitoba.. He felt sure SSfe1' would benefit very greatly by such i^in. investigation. . , i;; NO TTNITORMITY. SjThe Bight ■ Hon. Sir Robert Stout ' wsaid that if employers of labour were Sto be required to provide for their emiiloyees they would pass on the charge s|n the price of their goods. The question was not to be settled as easily as <lt might appear, and he thought from all sources should be Slathered and a .scheme evolved by Par,£ament. Under the present system there ffras no uniformity at all, one office J^oing one thing and another company thing. J.J: The -Hon. W. Earnshaw advocated Jp contributory scheme in which the •frorker, the employee,, and the State Should participate. '-.J^J The statement that accident insurance companies evaded their obliga-. was repudiated by the Hon. <J. J. 'Garland, who advocated open competition in accident compensation busi- ■ 'feiis.. : ,■ '..' .■•'■.■'• *'' It would .be undesirable, said the Hon. fili.-'W. Alison, in the interests of the Employers and the State, to establish ifetate monopoly of. workers' compensation insurance. He hoped .that time Jwonld not arrive. "What was needed ■ -jiras competition. ; ,5j The Hon. W. D. Shodgrass took a idmilar view, and said he thought the iJS'ew Zealand insurance companies «hould make better payments in respect ibf death and other circumstances. He idvocatod contributory co-operation.be-((wcen the' einployer:,and the employee. Ji The Leader of the Council, in reply, jlaid a contributory scheme could be {taken into consideration after the reieturn of the head of the Department Jrom Canada. He had no doubt that ■fie would also visit Calif ornia, as suggested by Mr. Cohen. J:| The Bill was passed.