WORKERS' COMPENSATION

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 25, 30 January 1932, Page 12

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—Your .anonymous correspondent j who serves up a didactic dissertation in last evening s "Post," offers no criticism or comment on the point raised by me", and I must decline, to be drawn, tempting though-the/opportunityi be,'into a I morass of/.irreleyancy." I; have directed at^?'^ n t<»,?n effect of;the.unemployed jy"-trie raqical;/ reduction; '. of i fcbmperisaY lo°i One:-result' of half-time belief work is the^oiTe^orWing:Miriiinutiori;of comne nsation,.deßpite the obviousiritentiori of ,tne;L,eg Is la^ U re;wlien:-;it passed* the Workers Gpmpeasation Act, 1922, to. the Contrary. - ihe;position it. comparatively' unimportan^^tfie/cas^^'triwal'irijS buvm fatal cases and in non-fatal cases causing serious and permanent injuries', the result! is. disastrous^; iand-1- will ; add, dis-' graceful, because it vis:unnecessary. ' AH that is:required to correct the position is a simp|e amendment, making general; the provisions' now appUcable-iin-the/casri ofwaterside workers. Men are unemployed because theyare being continuously, robbed by a Jand> system . which: .is an impious defiance of natural right.: : Not only are they robbed, however, but they are' insulted by so-called relief work, the effect of.which is-to enhance, the value of land: Ihe land-owning .. claskZ-accdrdihgly ■' aire on a. good wicket." It/would pay them well to tax themselves/to employl the ;menvQn'relief-works:-'They-'W-doing much better however, in that the masses ot the people are taxing their wages to make,roads, and bridges for the' special benefit of the few. Under these circumstances to ask. that .the '..Workers' Compensation Act, should not be repealed pro tanto.is reallya- very modest request, and -mil be, mteresting to see. whether it' will be asking.too much of our '■eo-calie'd; National Government.—l am, etc";,/ 'ft/ P. J. O-REQAN-ft

i P?n«S n the B^Set is less than & 1 00,000. This is the cost to the Budget, but it is not the only effect upon the Budget. By keeping up the gioss income of the export producers and the internal price-level, the high-exchange rate maintains the money value of national income above what it would be at parity of exchange. This increases tho revenue from taxation. If it leads to an increase of only 5 per cent., the benefit to the Budget will be £900,000. The exchange rate also increases the, capacity of primary produceis to meet their interest obligations, and thus sustains' Government revenue fr,onr this 'source. On the whole its benefits to'jthir Budget are at least eqtfal to 'Ij}te>«ogtsf>iii the immediate future, and^will;, in the long run, be considerably mote '"-than the costs. As overseas prices improve the exchange rale may be brought 'down without disturbance to export pioducers."