Lake County Press. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY. The trust that's given thee guard, and to thyself be just. Arrowtown: August 29, 1901. CURRENT TOPICS.

Lake County Press, Issue 977, 29 August 1901, Page 4

Lake County Press. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY. The trust that's given thee guard, and to thyself be just. Arrowtown : August 29, 1901. CURRENT TOPICS.

Locai.lv oven a good deal of anxiety lias been caused amongst the farming community regarding certain provisions in the Work ers’ Compensation Act. The Parliamentary correspondent of the Southland Times reports that in the House on Wednesday, Mr Flat-man asked, the Premier if he would consider the advisabloncfs of amending the Workers Compensation for Accidents Act with th u object of making it clear as to whether alt workers within the colony come under the proviions of, and are included in, the Act. Mr Flatman said he had a legal opinion to the effect that it was not clear whether agricultural laborers were included in the scope of the Act or not, but that farmers were liable for accidents which occurred to men working for contractors on farms. He thought that this question should be cleared by the Government. The Premier said Mr Flatman stated the position exactly when he said it was not clear whether agricultural laborers wore included under the Act or not. This was the advice which the Government had got. He would be told that if there was any doubt the Government ought to remove it. He would give his reasons for waiting before dealing with the matter in this particular respect. The New Zealand Act was a transcript of the English Act. A Bill had been introduced in the House of Commons extend ing the Workers’ Compensation Act to, agricultural laborers; therefore, if it was necessary, in order to include agricultural workers there, that class of laborer could not be included in the New Zealand Act without legislation. If the Government were satisfied that the Act went further than the Legislature intended it would introduce a Bill making it clear that country workers were not included. Regarding the liability of a farmer for accident to the workmen of contractors, he thought the liability was wrongly laid upon the farmer. When a threshing machine came on to a farm for three days and an accident occurred, the contractor should bo liable, and not the farmer. He was watching thu matter very carefully,, and as soon as he could get satisfaction as to the scope of the Act, he would have the matter made clear. lie would say, however, that certain people (insurance companies) were creating a scare in order to increase their business. They were obtaining money by false pretences, and if they could be laid hold of they should be punished.