MEASURES RULED OUT

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1934, Page 7

MEASURES RULED OUT

MORTGAGORS’ RELIEF BILL COMPENSATION FOR WORKERS. HARDSHIP ON DEPENDENTS. BOTH BILLS SENT TO COMMITTEE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. When the Mortgagors and Tenants Relief Amendment Bill was called in the House of Representatives to-night the Speaker said he would formally rule the Bill out of order, but the Bill was read a second time pro forma and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The Speaker also formally ruled out. of order Mr. W. E. Parry’s Workers Compensation Amendment Bill, but the House agreed that Mr. Parry should be allowed to move the second reading. Mr. Parry said the present Act never contemplated the situation which had arisen to-day. He considered compensation for death should be the same no matter what the workers’ earnings had been. The loss of a bread-winner earning £3 a week was no less a hardship than the loss of a man earning £6 a week. A worker was entitled to have provision made that he should receive the same compensation whether he worked one or six days a week. He considered average weekly earnings should be based on what the man received daily. Mr. Parry proceeded to point out what he said were anomalies in the present Act. He asked the Government when considering amendments to the Act to examine his suggestions.

Mr. E. J. Howard (Lab., Christchurch South) said the present Act was full of “snags.” The Act was a good one and had been greatly improved in recent years.

The second reading was carried and the Bill was referred to the Labour Bills Committee.