UNEMPLOYMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 28 September 1932, Page 3

UNEMPLOYMENT

ACCIDENT INSURANCE. BOARD TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY. It has been .decided that the liability hitherto carried by local bodies in respect, of accidents to ifelief workers arising out of arid in. the course of the performance of work, the wages of which are refunded from the. Urieriiployment Fund, provided the injured worker was" feiigihle to be employed oh the work being performed by him at the time of the accident,... will b e taken over tiy the Board as fririm October Ist.. In a circular letter sent out to-.loca! bodies, local unerilployuient officers and certifying officers, the Commissioner |fMi* ; G. 0. Godfrey) states that the (Board’s (liability, however, will be limited to the amount payable in respect of the wages, provided by the Board. Where the wages are supple-, merited from' a source other than th’’ Unemployment Fund, the employer wifi oo required to carry the liability l° r that proportion which the, contribution bears to the injured worker’s total remuneration. RELIEF TO LOCAL BODIES. From October Ist, therefore,' local bodies will not require to injure relief workers who are remunerated tolely with Board moneys’arid for whom the local bodies hav e hitherto beeri required to provide insurance, but it will ,be ne-' cessary for them to, arrange over with, their indemnifiers in .1 espect of the coni perisation payable ori account of ariy Ortiori of the relief worker’s remrinera tion which is not being provided frOm the Unemployment Fund. .... In oaseV where local bodies have required" farrirefs employing (Scheme'. £ men “Over the fence” to provide for irisurariefe, the Board does riot intend to take over the insurance liability., N<i accidents to relief workers employed by isuch farmers should, therefore, be reported to the State Office. ~ . ; To place fine matter of. insurance on a definite basis', local bodies should notify their present indemriifiers before Oc tober Ist that cover_-will- not be required after September 30th in resped of th 6 ‘liabil'ty being taken over by the Board, and at the sarnie time arrange for any cover they may require in respect of the risk which they wil: still carry. This notice should be given without fail in brider to avoid any complications. The question of the adjustment of the premium paid for relief workers' cover should also be taken up with- present indeniriifiers. STATE FIRE DEPARTMENT. ; Arrarigeinents are being made for the State Fire and Accident Insurance Department to investigate arid certify claims -on behalf of .sth©*- Board*;-The following details are’ submitted for. information of those concerned ;■ Local bodies; mean those bodies mentioned in a (previous ris followsßelief work will be provided through the medium of c ity councils, borough councils',* county councils, harbour boards, town boards, road boards, river boards; drainage boar-dfe, domain hoards, hospital boards, education boards, sdhoo] edmmittees, tramway or transpor. boards, arid such other classes of local bodies rind such > Departments of State as may be approved by the Unemployment Board. In the case of local bodies of a type other than those eiiumeratcd employing workers under the Board’s scheme, application should be made for a ruling as, to whether these bodies are affected by the Board’s decision to carry compensation, risk, or whether such othT’r local*' bodies ate, as in the past, to ' carry th e risk themselves.

' :In tbfe event of accident to relief workers, a report must be furnished tc the nearest branch of the State Office. It is proposed to prepare special forms for u-e in-, connexion arilh claims, .but to enable the sch£m e to operate from October let, the State Office, has made available, 1 to the-Board a supply of its “Report of Accident” form to meet re ouirements while tlhe how forms are- being prepared and printed. , PROCEDURE. If the'. Statg Office; on receipt of tbclaim papers, is satisfied that the claim is; in order, it will adyise the l°ca. body to that effect, and as to the ■ amount of compensation to be paid. 1 Such advice may be accepted by thlocal body as authority to pay the .amounts stipulated. Medical expenses Incurred up to a maximum amount o: £1 are payable under the Work err Compensation Act, and Workers shou t hand tlhe doctors’ accounts for medic a attendance to local bodies, by whom they should be forwarded to the State Office, which will arrange for payment to the doctors through the Unemployment Board. Tile lodal body will pay the compel: sation authorised, and will claim iron-t-he certifying, officer,-.with whom th workers are registered as unemployed and through whom they are engaged, i. refund of the amounts expanded in this connection. On satisfying himself that the claim is in accordance with th authority issued, a copy of which wil A, * supplied to 'him by the State Fire aAd Accident 'lnsurance Office, th. i d/tilying officer will pass the vouch"' ", Jr payment through the Post Office. The local bodies voucher should be '■ > ;pticate, supported by an acquittance from the worker that he has received (he Umount for whidh refund m claimti*d, and showing th c period in respect of which payment was made. his is>‘ iff accordance with the usual A-actice \in connection with Scheni e 5 Jaims. The ..; duplicate ; copy of the -oucher and acquittance will be fifed by the certifying officer. ; '