MR. HOLLAND'S BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 239, 8 October 1932, Page 12

MR. HOLLAND'S BILL.

WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

APPEAL TO MR. FORBES,

TO BE REFERRED TO COMMITTEE

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter;)

WELLINGTON, Friday.

An appeal to the Government to adopt his Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill was made by Mr. H. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, in the HCfljss of Representatives, to-day. Mr. Holland said last session the Prime Minister had undertaken that steps would be taken to ascertain whether the Government should take the proposal up. This was rendered necessary by the serious position created by relief work on one h»fld and intermittent work on the other hand. This development had resulted in injured workers receiving in many casta only one-third of the normal compensation. The bill proposed that in computing average weekly earnings for the purpose of fixing compensation to be paid it should be provided that such earnings should be not less than a full week's work, calculated on the bask of daily rates of wages, irrespective of whether an injured man had been working a full week or not.

Mr. Holland added that there was already provision to this effect in respect to waterside workers, and it was important that it should be extended to other cases of intermittent work and relief work. He instanced a case in which a married man with a family was receiving only 16/8 a week for compensation under the present conditions.

Mr. Forbes suggested that the bill should be referred to the Labour Bills Committee, and upon its return the matter could be dealt with.

Mr. Holland undertook to move in this direction when the bill came up for its second reading next Wednesday.