BUILDERS' ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18096, 11 June 1924, Page 11

BUILDERS' ASSOCIATION.

MONTHLY MEETING. ;

, The monthly meeting of the Canterbury Builders' Association W«&h«ld last night,- Mr J. Graham presiding over a good attendance. , ' A letter was received fr6m the Save the Children Fund, asking for.a contribution for the fund. ; Th& letter was received.

Mi- E. J. Howard, M.P., In addressing the Association on workers'' compensatioa matters,' stated that the T? re ' i sent Compensation Act was statute law-that was to state, it overrode common law. He would deal with the fundamental principles oi the Actr- t sick pay, compensation for the loss of a limb, compensation for the, loss of a breadwinner, and the limitation 01 . damages under common law. H&, proceeded to deal with clauses of the present Act wherein certain classes of labour were not covered by its provisona and criticised the clauses wherein com-., pensation for sickness or as the resuit of slight accident .was paid. Ihe crux of the situation* fte said, was the fact that the employers were paying such high insurance premiums for workers' compensation, and this was one of the reasons whereby thesq] ecti-y plovers objected to increased compensation payments. ' They naturally con--cludeu that should increased compen-; sation be required by law, the. premiums would also be increased. Although these high premioums. were being ptau, ; the workers were not deriving the bene-, fit which they should. In conclusion,; ho stated that his proposal was to endeavour to have a commission appointed to examine the whole matter of workers' compensation, including the amounts paid in premiums for this class of risk to insurance companies,: with a view to the State'taking, over; the workers' compensation risSr as a; State monopoly. He did not consider that it was right that private oompan-' ies should be able to exploit the trouble and pain of useful industrial employees.

On the motion of the chairman,, seconded by Mr W. H. Winsor, a vote T>f thanks was passed to the speaker, the chairman assuring Mr Howard of the builders' moral support.