Workers Compensation for Accidents Bill.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 122, 31 October 1901, Page 1

Workers Compensation for Accidents Bill.

In introducing the Workers Compensa* tion for Accidents Bill in the House on Tuesday, the Premier said that it waa desired to make the point clear es'to ths application of fcthe Act to agricultural labourers. Ho did not propose for a singe moment to go back on existing legislation. It was intended simply to insert a provuo relieving fanners from liability inretpeot to threshing machine!* lb was necessary to clear away th« fri tion ani doubt that existed oh that point. Mr G. W. Russell said that the Premier had run away from his guns because of the motiou recently passed by the Farmer*.'Union at Ashbnrton. He had scuttled away and left the agricultural labourers out in the cold. Mr Millar asked the Premier If he intended to alter the principal Act to give a mortgagee a fir.t claim in ease of accident. Mr Tanner declared that if the law was to be given the restricted application proposed by the Premier, the Act might just as well be off the statute ;book, because agriculturai;iaboureri constituted a large section of the workers of the colony. He strongly urged Act should include agricultural labourers. Mr Hutoheson urged that it was only common honesty'to farmers that their;

josition under the Act should be specifically defined. Mr £ll declared that the Bill would not go through if ifc ootitained a clause to exempt agricultural labourers. Mr Buddo and Mr Flatman said that they should either have the English Acl in its entirety or let things remain as J they are. t After farther discussion, the Premier j said that the cause of the great dissatis. 3 faction amongst the farmers was the > impression that if an accident happened J on a threshing machiue which a farmer had engaged to come on to his farm and thresh his crops, the farmer was liable . under the Act. The English Act made . it clear that the owner of the machine, • and not the farmer, was liable, and ib was to make this poiot clear in the New Zealand Act that this amending Bill was brought down, fle had no intention of amending the prinoipal Act so as to give the mortgagee a first claim in case of accident. If the Bill was made to include agricultural labourers it would never pass the Legislative Council. He did not intend to deal with casual labour. The Bill was. introduced and read a third time.