PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16656, 28 September 1917, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

ACCIDENT INSURANCE. POLICY OF THE . STATE. [BY TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.! WELLINGTON. Thursday. ! The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. ! Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) produced in the House a pair of white gloves which, ho said, had been. sold to a returned soldier yesterday, and were plainly marked "Made in" Germany." Ho thought it an insult to a returned soldier that he .should be sold German gloves, after he had I i.-fln fighting the Germans. He asked if trading with the enemy was • still going on. Mr. Massey said the Government was ' just as anxious as anyone to stop trading with the enemy. . Hon. A. L. Hordman promised to inquire j into the matter. He said the Department I had assured him that there was now no trading with the enmy. t Mr. A. Walker (Dunedin North) intro-1 duced the Workers' Compensation for , Accidents Act Amendment Bill. Mr. H. Poland (Ohinemuri) contended | the Government should pass legislation making better provision for compensation to workers. There were, he said, 27 accident insurance companies doing business ' in the Dominion, resulting in a great waste j in the cost of management. The Government Bhould tak over the whole accident business. I Mr. C. H. Poole (Auckland West) urged i the need for some simple method of enforcing claims against insurance companies, as the fear of expensive litigation often induced workers to accept terms much below what ought to be paid: Sir Joseph Ward expressed his sympathy with the principle that workers injured in the course of their employment should be liberally treated, but combated the idea that only one, and that a State insurance office should exist. He had done as much as anyone to establish State institutions, but it had never been the policy of the Government to crush out all similar institutions. State institutions had only been established for the purpose of checking monopoly by controlling ratej, and that was the only sound policy the State could pursue. To drive out private offices would create great financial embarrassment as it is from the large life, fire and accident insurance companies that the bulk of the money came from when the State wanted to raise public loans. Messrs. H. G. Ell (Christchurch South), J. Payne (Grey Lynn), J. McCombs (Lyttelton), and P. C. Webb (Grey) took part in tho discussion. Mr. Walker, in his reply, expressed the hope that the Government would take the Bill up and pass it this session. The Bill was read a first time. The War Pensions Amendment Bill was considered in Committee at the evening sitting.