THE LABOR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 16350, 16 February 1917, Page 2

THE LABOR MOVEMENT

[By Veteran,

Brief contributions on matters with reference to the Labor Movement are invited.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION.

ih S rc”?rd t Ht, "n 1 r e-some particulars M-mv’ 1 the Queensland Arbitration Act. i any other Acts dealing with the Labor i huT'lShor' 7- b( ’ en paKse< l L, y the Queensland Labor Government. One of the most important is the Workers’ Compensation Act v.ac-h is said to bo tho most liberal Act of row 1 *!!?''" PMS ? I : " V m ! IvT'f' , 0 compensation to ba paid, The best features ot Urn New Zealand r.ct, 1908, and its amendment, have been closely copied. The schedule sctiinare kn<m , l as i,Klustl *l «nd mining diseases is somewhat more eomprebensivthan cno similar selicdula in our Act. As a safeguard against the spreading of infecdc-li among healthy workers in the industries mentioned, c.a uses aro incorporated in (bo Act , Preventing the employment of diseased workers among healthy mates. This should ixsult, m the prevention of much suffering aiKt probably the saving of many lives. A most important feature of the Act is that all employers must insure in the Government olncc, and 'here is no loophole for the uc"ccitul employer to escape his liability. ..uould any employer retrain from insurin'* anti an accident, occurs, the Commissioner may pay the requisite compensation and re- 1 cover the amount from tbs worker’s ’ cm- ! р. _ There have been numerous com- \ maiuts m regard to tho delay and the coatlv ! legal proceedings that have to be. undertaken '■ under the New Z-land Act. If trouble i sliou.d ariso over any claim under tho; Queensland Act recourse need not be had to i tiio Courts, but failing, settlement bv a re- ' tcree tbs services of the Public Curator can - bo nivokeu to adjust matters. Tins must ! icsuit in a large saving of legal expenses i noth to die Government Insurance Office, mid i to those churning compensation. Tho lad ( clause in the Act reads: •‘This Act shall j Cti-,0 have effect on and after the first | с. ot July, one thousand nine hundred and : nineteen.” Tho Brisbane ■Worker' savs the i pm-port of that clause is plain, “it means: that, it toi.ws are to safeguard their rights • and privileges .as contained in the humane I enactment, it will be vitally necessary to ! always return to power representatives pleogsrd to its ro-onactmeut. In common Wiru most otner aspects of government in *vu.-tialia, the inaltcr rests with the people, italics in their hands who.lhor or not ihe sufferers in the struggle for existence be deprived of such a be-ucvoleut guardian as tho Act undoubtedly is.”

If we v.c-ro to take the comment of the •Worker’ seriously, wo shock! be forced to tho_ conclusion that the Labor Government baa deliberately put that clause in the Act to assist their return to power at the next General Election. As a matter of fact, the chums was inserted and insisted upon by the Legislative Council, who did not take kindly to the Bill. The members of the Upper House that, insisted upon that clause wilTbo rattier taken aback when they find that it is used as a reason for giving the present Government another term of office. The Act is too good to be lightly dropped at the end of the three years stipulated in the final clause. Under its provisions sufferers from any occupational disease which is at present known to ineapacitiiatc. men from working will receive a maximum of £1 per week in addition to all reasonable and necessary medical comforts, subject to the Commissioners approval. In the event of death resultin'. a maximum allowance of £2O for funeral "expenses is payable, also £1 per week to the widow, with 10s per week for each child under 14 years of age, the maximum not to exceed £2 ICs per week, with a proviso that the total amount payable must not exceed £4OO. The Commissioner under the Act has very wido powers. It be has reason to believe that the sufferer can be cured, or his sufferings mitigated he may arrange for his special treatment in a hospital or sanatorium in lieu of any other form of compensation. As fresh industrial diseases are discovered from tunc to tune, the,re is a provision that the Commissioner may bring sufferers from occupational diseases not mentioned in tho Acs within its scoih; by means of a new regulation. Tho soundness of the scheme hes in the fact that tho State is alone responsible for the payment of compensation. Legal expenses will be avoided, thus ensuring that tiie sufferer will receive the whole ot the amount he. is entitled to as compensation. Ihe premiums paid by employers in the various industries will require only a slight loading to cover the operations of'the Act, as tho Government subsidise the fund to the extent of £IO,OOO per annum for the fils!, three years, .and do,ooo per annum for the following three yeais. By way of a saieguard to employers and io the State no new employees are allowed to enter unv U‘ lo affected industries after January 1, unless they have toon examined and can show a certificate to prove that they are not suffering from any such disease, and u ,- o not predisposed towards the diseases mentioned. This is a wiso precaution in view ot tho fact that some m;u are, verv susceptible to miner's phthisis, and these men will bo only too glad to keep clear of dusty mines when examination has shown them that they stand a big chance of contractin' l - tho malady if they go mining. Mr rilieily,"' Minister or Justice, when introducing the measure m the Legislative Assembly, concluded his speech by saying: “This measure is an advance step, and one that should be welcomed by l the members of the community generally We are taking upon ourselves the burden of providing for a largo section of the community whose wc-liaro has been absolutely disregarded in the past and who havo been left to chance charity or voluntary effort or to certain tottering funds. Sometimes a fund has become fairly robust, but it. is a tottering funds because it depends upon a levy on the, workers, and the workeis cannot afford to contribute to such funds.'’ Maltha Queensland Labor Government continue as they havo begun, and pass many more such measures for the benefit of the workers.

CURIOUS DISPUTES,

The fact that there are State Arbitration Court.; and Wages Boards, also a Federal Arbitration Court, in Australia, is responsible for some curious complications; and peculiar positions often arise from the decisions arrived at by the various boards and courts. Recently a oim was leferml to Senator Lyncn, ilio Federal Minister for Public Works for settlement. At the Flinders Aavai nato the question of who should con trol the laborers on the sewage works was a matter of dispute between (lie laoorers’ Union and the Australian Workers' Luton, who evh claimed the work for their members, and work was suspended until the, matter was settled. Finally the BiiiMmg Laborers Union gave way, end the A.W.U. to the Wages Board to settle the rate of pay. Feeling dissatisfied with the ftwara tb-e union invoked the Court o y ' Indust rial. Appeal, and the rate, was raised to Us 4d a day for a 48-hours' week and 12? a day fm- about 6 or 7 per cent, of the workers. Meanwhile the Builders' Laborers had been awarded by the Federal Court a flat ra-l-e of 12s a day for a 44-hours’ week, and the sewer workers naturally wished to share it bo a deputed ;on trom the Builders’ Laborers waiter! on 'Senator Lynch with (ho iiiumatrion _th.at, they had arranged with the A.W.U. to take over control, and asked that the question as to what award should apply Lo icfcued to arbitration. It was chcortullv stipulated, however, that as (die men wire now members of the Builders’ Laborers’ Luton they could not work under the award rate. It will bo remembered that Senator Lynch was one of those who followed Mr W. M. Hughes when he loft, the conference at the time of the Labor split over the Military Sendee referendum, and was in consequence expelled from the Labor partv. He is not afraid to speak his mind, and “did so to the deputation. After pointing out. that their idea of .arbitration was "Heads I win tads you lose,” ho said that this policy of refusing to accept awards it they were” not wholly in their favor was bringing arbitration into disgrace and popular disfavor. Tbs Labor party had for years been buildingup a barrier to protect itself, and now there was a strong section of the pnrt-v who were sapping and mining to bring that barrier down. Aliudipg to the fact that the sewer workers had struck when the department had put die amended award in force, and were still on strike, ho said they wore working their own undoing. They went, into court with a. double-barrelled gun—one barrel loaded with arbitration and one with strike. Public opinion would not stand that long. They might win for a year, or even for 10 years, but there would ho a revulsion of public feeling tliat would push them back into ft worse bog than that from which they had emerged.

NOTES,

As long -as the sole purpose of life is rotting a living, so long will life for the average man bo not worth the living.

Whoa the workers got tired enough of paying a few capitalists for owning the machinery of production, perhaps they will get wise enough to vote to own it themselves, and pay themselves for owning ft. It i s to bs hoped so, at least.

Every new labor-saving machines would be a blessing if it were owned bv the workers instead of by the capitalist. When the. machinery of production is in the hands of the producers and production is carried on for use instead of for profit, most of the world's work will bo done by machinery, and t,n« aim of society will be to reduce the hours of compulsory labor to the fewest necessary for tho maintenance of the highest standard of civilisation and to ensure the health and wellbeing of nil the people.