PARLIAMENT

Lake County Mail, Issue 24, 5 November 1947, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

Workers’ Compensation Bill “ I would describe this Bill—l think I would be very moderate in my description if I said —that it savours of socialistic smash and grab methods.” So declared Mr T. L. Macdonald (National, Wallace) speaking on the second reading of the Workers’ Compensation Amendment Bill, which establishes a State monopoly in that class of insurance. “ Under the Bill, the State office will be the sole office which will be allowed or permitted to handle this type of insurance,” he said. “It is straight out confiscation. It is not a case of the Government stepping in and putting an end to anything in the nature of an illegal sort of business.” The legislation introduced a new technique in Government methods. The Government had taken over businesses in the past, and there had always been some form of payment for value received —some form of compensation. The new technique in this measure was that there was to be no compensation, not the slightest vestige of compensation for the business to be taken over by the Government. A State office had been running in competition with private offices for many years, .but to-day had only 15 per cent, of the total business for New Zealand. Surely, there must be something wrong there, or it*vas a straightout demonstration of the belief that the public, in using that form of insurance, would sooner go to the private companies than to the State office. “Now the competitors of the State office are going to be wiped out, and the State will get the lot. The Government is even going to wipe out all the mutual associations, although they are doing extremely good work.” Another important part was what was going to happen to tlie staff, which the Government said would be protected. The workers themselves said they were not very happy about it.