POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 14523, 26 November 1910, Page 8

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

CFitoM Gun Pauuamkxtakv Reiduter.]

WELLINGTON. November 26. AX INIQUITOUS PROPOSAL. In committee on the Crown .'-nits Amendment Art. 1910. considerable discussion took place botwen the Hon. tho Attorney-Genera! and the Hon. J. B. Calkin upon danse 8 of tho Bill. Tins danse provides that lucre shall be no claim for damages when the Crown is liable to pay compensation under the Workers' Compensation Act. In effect, it limits tho right of a.n employee of the Government, or the relatives of the employee in case of Ins death, to not. more than £SOO. whilst in the (use of all otlmr cut plovers the claims on belialt of workmen injured or killed can be unlimitcd_in amount. In t/;e course of the discussion in the Coum /1, Air Callau pointed out what would he tho result of clause 8 if passed, and how unfair and invidious it would be in its working. He instanced the case of a railway accident : The bursting of tho boiler of an engine, one result of Which was that two men were killed—one tho driver of the engine, tho other a workman, not an employee of the Government, who happened to be close to tho engine when the accident occurred. In Kiic.h circumstances tho relatives of the latter could claim damages np to £2.000 (danse 9 of tho Bill limits tho amount to bo claimed from the Government by any person to that- sum), whilst the relatives of tho engine driver could not claim more than £SOO. He thought it a. most invidious distinction, and that it would be a blot on the Bill if passed. It is eomotime-o urged, lie said, that when a caso [or damages is brought against- tho Crown the jury are apt to lean against the Crown in favor of tho claimant, but that also applied to tho eases of damages against a wealthy employer or corporation, and he could not see why the Government should bo favored in the matter. Ho could not see why an employee of the Crown, if injured or killed, should not have the same remedy against the Crown an in the race of a person under any other employ whatsoever. MUNICIPAL LAW. When the Municipal ' Corporations Bill comes before tho Council tho Hon. J. B. Calkin will move the incorporation of tho clause of the English Local Government Act -under which newspaper proprietary managers are exempted from disqualifying clauses in cases where a paper is the only one circulating in the district served by tho local body.