ALTERATIONS TO STATUTES

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 283, 24 August 1940, Page 13

ALTERATIONS TO STATUTES

Fair Rents Act Extended

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

CLAIMS

Miscellaneous alterations to existing laws are contained in the Statutes Amendment Bill, which was introduced yesterday. Though there are 59 clauses in the Bill, most of them are of a minor nature and merely 1 designed to expedite administrative procedure. The Bill was read a second time pro forma and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. Local bodies are to be permitted in future to issue any of their licences for a part of the year and charge a proportionate fee. The operation of the Fair Rents Act is to be extended for a further year to September 30, 1941, and the Bill modifies slightly the type of premises to which the Act applies. The legislation has hitherto excluded tenancies where any services have been performed by the landlord, but it has been found in practice that this excluded many tenancies to which the Act was really intended to apply because even the most trivial service was held to prevent the operation of the Act. In apartment houses there is usually some trivial service performed by the landlord, and in such cases the whole purpose of the Act was defeated. The clause corrects this anomaly. Hospital boards are to be permitted to insure their members against personal accident arising during the performance of their duty. Provision is also made for chairmen of hospital boards to receive remuneration in cases in which a hospital is controlled by a joint committee of more than one hospital board.

In computing the five years’ practice which entitles a solicitor to-qualify as a barrister, it is provided that service in the armed forces in the present war shall be counted as part of the five-year period.

.Motor Vehicle Licensing.

The date for the annual licensing of motor-vehicles and the issue of drivers’ licences is to be postponed by one month during the registration year commencing at the beginning of June, 1941. There will be an increase of one-twelfth of the licence fee for that term. The reason for this change is to avoid congestion in post offices owing to the fact the motor registration date now synchronizes with that for the payment of social security. The State Fire Insurance Office is to be authorized to undertake marine insurance business. An alteration is made in the existing procedure for appeals from decisions of transport licensing authorities, in that the Minister of Transport may, instead of deciding an appeal, refer it back to the licensing authority for further consideration. This is to meet cases where the Minister considers that the evidence taken has been insufficient for a determination to be made. Liability for Compensation. An amendment is made to the law relating to liability for workers’ compensation. The Workers’ Compensation Act already/provides that an accident causing death or serious disablement may be the basis of a claim for compensation, even though it may arise from the serious misconduct of the worker. The Act is now given a wider scope to bring it into line with the English practice, so that compensation may bo awarded if the worker has been engaged in his employer's service at the time of injury even though he was at the time acting in contravention of any Act or statutory regulation, or without the authority of his employer.

The final provision gives a warden’s Court the same power as a magistrate has to grant compensation to a worker for an accident arising out of his employment where he appears to be entitled to it in a case in which the worker seeks but fails to establish a claim at Common Law for damages.