LABOR LAWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1920, Page 5

LABOR LAWS.

WORKERS' COMPENSATION. LIMITATION OF DAMAGES. 8r Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. \yiien the House of Representatives resumed to-night, the first order of the day was a motion to go into committee on the Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill (No. 2J, which had previously been read a second time pro forma. Speaking to the motion to go into committee, the Hon. Sir William Herries (Minister of Labor) pointed out that lie had embodied in the Hill many of the proposals of Mr. Howard's Bill, which he took to express the views of the official Labor Party, Tliia Government Bill was the iirst instalment of a programme of legislation intended to cateh up the ground lost in connection With labor laws during the war period. A Factories Bill and a .Shops and Oflices Bill would be introduced this session. The present Bill was agreed to by the Labor Party, by the employers, and by the insurance companies, "so that he thought he was justified in asking the House to pass it without amendment. The only point of difference had been in regard to "common employment." Upon that he had consulted the principal legal authorities, and their opinion was that the doctrine of common employment was abolished, and that there was substituted the limitation of £750 damiges in the ease of disablemeitt. In refard to death there was no limitation. Mr. D. (}. Sullivan (Avon): Have you considered my suggestion to abolish limits in the case of total disablement f The Minister said that the schedule of the Act classed as 100 per cent, tlisablement injuries which were not ordinirily considered, such as the loss of loth eyes, for instance, and to remove the limit for total disablement would be t' remove it from cases of many still able to earn a living, as had been denonfitrated by injured soldiers.

INCREASE OF THE LIMIT. ■Discussing other phases of compensation, the Minister asked the Labor tarty to be content to leave the law as it stood. , The present Bill was a g')od Bill, and was a great advance ou anything they had before the doctrine of "common employment" had been abolished and a reasonable limitation as to damages had been put in its place. Some favored the abolition of t.iis limitation, but that was unwise, becuifc if it was done away with '-common employment" would have to be reinstated. After dealing with the clauses of the Bill, the Minister slated that the principal amendment in the law was an increase of the limit of damages ivom £SOO to £7sso for disablement, lor death the damage was still unlimited. He asked members not to be carried away by sentiment. They should consider their own position "as employers. Labor members: That is not appealing t> sentiment, but to selfishness. Continuing, the Minister said the position of the employer must be considered. and that would not be done ii the limit of damages for disablement was swept away altogether. If that were done the employer would never know where lie was, and he had been assured that in that case insurance Ciirnpanips would not insure to protect the employers. T. M. YVilford (Leader of the Opposition) thought the Bill generally was a good Bill, but if a man was injured and entitled to compensation, why should he be left three days before he was entitled to compensation at all? Wo also urged that larger compensation be given to workers while sick. If a worker required £4 a week to keep him while well, it was perfectly certain that £2 4s would not keep him and his family while sick.

MEMBERS NOT SATISFIED. Mr. E. J. Howard maintained that tie doctrine of "common employment" had not been abolished bv the Bill. He differed entirely from tire Minister in ilia reading of the clause, which was simply aiding 1 big shipping companies in r inning ships in an unsafe condition. He pointed out that many Bhips trading on our coasts, on which'our New Zealand men were employed, by being registered in England were defeating our cc mpensatioQ law, because an injured man could not proceed under this Act. When in committee he would move to sitrike out clause six, which, he; affirmed, continued the principle of common employment. Mr. H. Poland (Ghinemiivi) said the suspicious thing about the Bill was that the Minister said the employers and the insurance companies agreed that the Bill should pass. He would milch prefer to see the employers and the insurance companies dissatisfied, as there might then be something in it for the workers He complained that the amount proposed as medical aid to an injured worker was wholly inadequate, as was also the allowance of Jifty-five per cent. oi his wages while absent from work. Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland. Central) maintained that without considerable amendment the Bill would not help the workers much, and would fulfil neither the hopes of Ministers nor the aspirations of workers. Mr. R. Masters (Stratford) advocated a State monopoly of accident insurance. Mr D. Ct. Hullivan (Avon) maintained tnat however much the Bill might be an advance on (he present legislation the time had clearly arrived when there should be a complete overhaul of the compensation law.

BILL IN COMMITTKE. Ihe Bill then went into committee. Aii clause 4, Mr. Parry moved an amendment designed to give a worker earning £3 per week the same ratio of increase as given to a worker earning £5 a week. The Minister said it was his desire that this should lio done, and if the Bill did not give effect- to this, then lie would have the matter looked into, and if necessary it could be amended in (mother place. On this understanding Mr. Parry withdrew his amendment. In clause 4, sub-section 88, Mr Poland moved an amendment to increase the amount of compensation from 5,> per cent- to GG 2-3. On a. division, ihe amendment was lost by 30 votes to 25. Mr. Howard endeavoured to amend section 3 of the Workers' Compensation Act, IEIII, by striking out the limitation placed on the amount of compensation lo be paid in the case of disablement. The amendment was lost by 42 votes to 18. The Bill was then reported with amendments made by the Labor Bills Committee, read a third time, and parsed. The House rosa at 1,42 a.m.