DEPUTATION TO MR MILLAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 65, 25 June 1910, Page 5

DEPUTATION TO MR MILLAR.

SEVERAL POINTS ELUCIDATED.

ROBBING AN INJURED MAN OF HIS

BENEFITS,

By Telegraph—-P. ess Association. Wellington, Last Night. A deputation representing the Slaughtermen's Federation waited on the Minister of Labor (the Hon. J. A. Millar) to-day. The main desire of the deputation was to bring before the Minister the resolutions of the Slaughtermen's Conference. In the course of a lengthy reply, Mr. Millar said it was the intention of the Act that the workers should receive the maximum benefits set out. He knew of a case which liad been taken up by a speculative lawyer where the aggrieved person should have received £4OO, but was obliged to accept £220. He also knew of other cases where large amounts of money were retained by lawyers who had acted for injured persons. The intention of the Act was that where a man was injured he should be paid for the loss of halftime, and the schedule of the Act made provision for compensation for future loss of earning power. The Minister spoke on the point of the average earnings of a man, and said that where a slaughterman went through the New Zealand season, and then crossed over to Austrafiia, reciprocity should be agreed to. Mr. Reardon interjected that it seemed to him that the principle oi reciprocity in compensation was almost impossible to carry out. ,

The Minister said that under the New Zealand law the details of the case would be met by issuing an Order in Council and making the locail Act protect Australians working here, and similarly New Zealanders working part of the season in Australia would be protected if some method of reasonable computation were adopted. The earnings of a .man who netted £0 per week for a certain period would be reduced to say 30s per week for the year. It appeared to him that some amendment of the law was required for dealing with seasonal trades, and, as far as he could see, there were only two seasonal trades in New Zealand, slaughtering and shearing. Clause 5, foe added, was a very difficult one to deal with, having a regard for the number of small employers in New Zealand. If the usual seven days' leave (after an accident) were done away with, the increase in accident premiums would be incredible. The result of increase of premiums would be that the small men wou ; !d not be able to pay the premiums, and would not be able to pay compensation. However, he would place the matter before Cabinet. As to men contracting themselves out of fuill benefit* to which they were entitled under the Act, the Minister referred to a case of a large company in [the north, where the men thought they '.would get better benefits under a society than they would under the Act. Personally, he objected to anyone contracting himself out of his legail rights. Touching upon the suggestion that the State should take over the whole of ,the accident business, Mr. Millar said he doubted very much' whether the Government would do this. He instanced the case of a mine employing 250 men, in resnect of which there was a liability of £SOO each, and pointed to the huge burden that would have to be carried. He also told the deputation that premiums were so high nowadays that some employers preferred to take the risk themselves. In the case he had quoted, an explosion would mean the end of the men, the mine and the company. The question of compivlsorv insurance was a very large one, and if the St.ate were able to command the whole of the business done, no doubt it would be payable.