The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JULY 11, 1901. SO-CALLED LABOR LEGISLATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 154, 11 July 1901, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JULY 11, 1901. SO-CALLED LABOR LEGISLATION.

We are beginning to realise that wo are an over-governed and over-L-gisltted community, and thoughtful persons should ask themselves the , question as to whether it is not time the brake was put on. Of “making acts there seems no end,” and measures seem to get on to the statute book of the colony before wo realise the full i ■ import ot them. The Workers’ Compeusation for Accidents Act passed last session has had one good effect, in that it has benefited the Accident Insurance Companies and caused them I to do a great business, but we cannot j sav that it has proved an unmixed i blessing to employers of labor. Iu au J Indirect way it means au increased "mount to be paid iu wages, for which the men themselves get no benefit. The provisions of the Act have taken many peoplo by surprise, and no one can Ml exactly as to how far its grasp extends. It would appear, however, that all employers of labor are liable, from the person who engages a man to work in the garden, to the factory owner who employs any number of hands. The Premier gave one instance when the Biil was before the House, when a member put the following

case : “ Suppose a widow with a young family owns a house worth £3ou. She finds that some trilling repair is needed to the roof and sends a man to repair it; 110 falls down and breaks his leg, what would be the liability ?” Mr Soddon’s answer was, “ That woman’s whole property may be taken and herself and family left destitute.” Several instances aro quoted iu a late number of the Mercantile and Bankruptcy Gazette to show the far-reaching effects of the Act. In ono case when a man was engaged to repair the spouting to his house and fell from the roof, broaking his leg, a claim under the Workmen’s 3 Compensation Act was made. The owner of the property rather than take the case into court paid the sum of .£IOO, but at the same time resolved that the next time he wanted the gutters cleaned he would do them himself. There is no doubt that in many cases people will prefer to do without workmen rather than take the responsibilities which the Act renders them liable for. This can scarcely be a boon to the workers. Another case - occurred in Wellington which is worth i- quoting. Andrew Jackson, bootr trimmer, of Wellington, one of the leading union men there, had after many years of hard saving, accumulated £2OO. This money he spent in buying a section on which lie intended to build a house. The lowest tenderer was a man of tho journeyman builder type, who took the job for about £SO less than it was worth. When the work was pretty well finished, two men wore nailing up spouting on a jorry-built sort of scaffold, when a Wellington nor’wester gavo it a shaking. Some of the boards blew off, the two men jumped off to tho one side, and down the whole thing wont. Both wore seriously hurt, and the Arbitration Court awarded £4OO to thorn by way of , compensation. The builder could not ; ’ pay. Jackson had borrowed £2od from a building society, all of which had been disbursed as pro,e gross payments during the course of ’’ the work. The Court directed that ~ tho land should he sold, house and a all, and when this was done it brought, after payment of charges, just £-120. The men therefore got their monoy, tho Building Society received £2O in lieu of their £2OO, and Jackson of courso lost his land. Since this untoward ovent he lias changed his opinion about the desirability of labor legislation. Ho brought the facts of * his case before the Trades and Labor Council, and suggested that tho Union should subscribe the money, but they ' declined, on the ground that it was against the principles of labor to subscribe anything to -anyone. The Council, however, promised to try and get a clause inserted in the Act that the land or house of any Union man should not be liable to be charged j under the Workmen’s Compensation 1 Act, but that tho amount of compensation should under such circumstances be recoverable from the master builders as a whole, if they wore federated, and if not from the Employers’ Association. If a person employs a groom whose wages amount to £l2O, he will havo to insure him at once or run the risk of having to pay £4OO. If a man engages with a ‘ contractor for the performance of any work both the principal and the contractor are deemed to be employers of the workers engaged, and can be called upon to pay the amount of compensation granted under the Act. Financial institutions will also require to be very cautious in their advances, as all mortgages made subsequent to tho commencement of the Act are swept away by the charge for compensation. Unless great care be taken by mortgagees they will often stand to lose the whole of their security, as in the case quoted above. The principal may recover from the contractor, but if the latter cannot pay, and the principal cannot pay out of his estate, the mortgagee will be called upon to pay the piper. Whichever way one looks at it the Act is i undoubtedly a heavy' burden upon j all who employ labor, as the risk that employers run is too great to warrant them . not in- i suring, although many will no doubt 1 do so. Tho Government have es- 1 tablished an accident branch in con- ! neetion with their Life Insurance He- , partment, and will no doubt find it a ( profitable line of business. The pre- c miums in tho majority of cases are t fairly high ; in fact, we think that it c would almost pay each town in the t colony to havo its own Accident In- ‘ surauce Company. Thousands of pounds will be paid each year iu Gis- ® borne .alone by employers of labor, and property owners who wish to profeet themselves by insurance, and the p number of accidents .occurring in the j e. district during the year‘ are ' a more j bagatelle to the amount that will be paid. i

The annual meeting of the parishioners of Holy Trinity Church is to be held next Tuesday evening. A fresh supply of smoked mullet and sehnapper, also oysters, was received last evening at PL Warren’s fish and oyster depot.

To-morrow is the last discount day for the paying of baker's accounts, and householders are therefore reminded of the fact.

The County Chairman (Mr James Maefarlanel and Mr J. Warren leave for Wellington on Sunday to attend the annual conference of County Council delegates.

A special meeting of the County Counoil is to be held on Saturday morning to take into consideration a letter from Mr W. L. Bees in regard to the decision of the Validation Court re the Trust Estate. The tender of Messrs M. O'Connor and Duleinan, for Tl 9 15s, was accepted by the Whataupoko Road Board yesterday afternoon for drains. Only the one tender was received ; it was below the estimate,

Auckland City Council is considering a •£78,000 scheme of improvements. The impounding of a bay mare at the Gisborne Pound is notified by Mr Wilkinson. Ml- D. M At has early seed potatoes for sale. ..icy are in variety, good samples. Mr I I. O.t desires to obtain an immedif . supply of good table potatoes. Tiie . 11s ottered are cash on delivery. Capin’:'. Edwin wired at noon yesterday : Moderate to strong westerly winds : glass rise ; tides decrease: weather cold ; probably frost to-night.” The Chief Postmaster informs us that a mail service is to bo shortly established between PntoUhi and Wharekopao, and a Post office is to be opened at that place. Tho steamer Waihora left Napier for Gisborne at 5 p.m. yesterday, and is due early this morning. The vessel has seven horses to land at Gisborne.

As the schooner Saxon was being towed out of the river yesterday, by the Tawera, tho hawser snapped, and both vessels were in danger of getting on to the papa rock, but fortunately no damage was done. A splendid assortment of troos and plants was offered for salo yesterday by Messrs Wyllio and Mason, for Messrs H. Bull and Son. There was a good attendance, and fair prices were realised. Messrs Jack Hyams and Sam Hill had, through no fault of their own, to disappoint those who desired to see the promised “ willing go,” objection being made by the police.

Numerous enquiries have lately been made for houses. MrJ. l’onsford has to let a fine eight-roomed house, in a beautiful situation, facing the Waimata river, on the AVhataupoko side. It is only a few minutes’ walk from town. A four-roomed house is advertised' to lot by Mr John Somervell.

Messrs Robert and William Atkins, of Patutahi, havo established a firm reputation for the excellence of tho hams and bacon cured by them. They are ottering a quautity of hams and bacon for sale, and purchasers can rely on getting a first-class article if thoy send their orders to AllRobert or Air William Atkins.

A largely-attended meeting was held at Dunedin last night to agitate against the granting of the tlesiro of the Catholics for an amendment of the Coronation Oath. The meeting made itself ridiculous by protesting against any modification without a plebiscite of tho electors of Australasia.

The Gisborne Ladies’ Hockey Club will hold its usual Thursday practice this afternoon in tho Victoria Domain. The team to represent the Club against the country eleven will be chosen from the following :—Afisses Adair, Beero, Bloomfield, Butt, Davis (2), Heaney, Jones, Alorris (2), AlcCredio, Pnsley, Price, Sampson (2). The final selection will bo made after to-day’s play ; a full muster of members is therefore requested. At the Validation Court yesterday, Air DoLautour, on behalf of the Bank of New Zealand, applied to His Honor Judge Batham for an order directing that tho tenants of all the freehold and leasehold estates forming the trust estate of Carroll and Wi Pore do pay their rents to tho bank ; that the receivers be ordered to close their accounts as from February 23rd, 1899 ; that the appointment of the receivers ho cancelled ; that tho “ estates account” set up at the Bank of Now Zealand bo closed, and all moneys standing to credit to bo paid to the bank or held _b,y tho Court in suspense to tho credit of tho mortgage account; and that all allocators for the trustees’ costs be directed to bo delivered to the Bank of

New Zealand. The application was made on the grounds that all mortgages have been rh default; that the Court had declared the Bank to be mortgagee in possession and to be authorised to exercise its power of sale; that in consideration of iIOOO advanced, with the approval of the Court, and previous advances for J 2680 or thereabouts, and .£3300, the trustees, with the approval of the Court, assigned all their costs to the bank ; and that the bank had delivered notices of sale. Mr W. L. Rees, for the receivers, opposed the motion. A spirited argument ensued. His Honor considered that it would bo better to await the Appeal Court's decision on the recent judgment, but Mr DeLautour was opposed to delay. His Honor refused the motion, on the ground that he had no jurisdiction.