WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 213, 8 September 1926, Page 14

WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

QUEST FOR INFORMATION. OFFICIAL TO VISIT CANADA. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. It is proposed that the head of the Government Insurance Office shall visit Canada in the coming Parliamentary recess to inquire into the workers' com pensation system in operation there. In making this announcement in the Legislative Council, the Leader of the Council, Sir R. H. Rhodes, said the Ontario eystem was probably best known, and the Manitoba system was similar. There were other States which had schemes ' practically amounting to a Government monopoly on the basis of compulsion. It was desired to see whether New Zealand could not place on her statute book a scheme similar to those of Canada, or perhaps embodying the best features of those schemes. At any rate it was hoped to evolve a system in New Zealand muh better than that now in vogue. Members of the , Council agreed tiiat New Zealand "was I very backward in regard to workers I accident insurance. i The Hon. Weston thought the Ontario system was not all that was spoken of it. Only the previous day he had received : a publication stating that the province ;of Quebec, adjoining Ontario, had juot ; adopted a systeai which upon private companies, as we did in New Zealand. That was very extraordinary, as other Canadian schemes had been so ! much commended in the last two or 'three years. It would probaoly be found that New Zealand gave as much as any other country except New South Wales. lie asked members to suspend judgment ; until a report was obtained.

; General discussion took place in regard Jto workers compensation, and, in reply, I Sir Heaton Rhodes said the question of a contributory scheme could be taken into consideration after the return of the head of the Department from Canada.