NEW ZEALAND TRADES COUNCILS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7978, 6 April 1904, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND TRADES COUNCILS.

4 ANNUAL CONFERENCE. The annual conference of the New Zea-/ land Trades Councils was continued at the City Council Chambers this morning, Mr W. Newton (Canterbury) in the chair. WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT. Mr R. Breen (Otago) resumed the adjourned debate on the Workers' Compensation Act. He sa*id the Act had proved a great blessing to many .people, but he thought the time was inopportune to ask that full pay should be awarded to injured workers from the time of accident. Mr H. Betts (Westland) moved, as an amendment— " That the Act should Ije amended, to provide that an employee, in case of injury, shall receive 50 per cent of his ordinary weekly, daily, or hourly wage (as the case may be), and that the compensation should be computed and allowed as if the injured worker was in the service of the omployer in whose employ he met with the injury, one or more weeks." He urged that the effect of the amendment would be to place a casual worker on the same footing as a permanent worker. Mr J. Carter (Westland) seconded the amendment. He said that at present the organised workers received some benefit from the Act, but that unorganised labour received no benefit. In his opinion there was no prospect of injured workmen receiving full compensation based on the current rate of wages. Mr J. Foster (Westland) supported the amendment, and Mr J. R. Cole (Hawke's Bay) said injured workmen were either en-' titled to full pay from the time of accident, or to nothing. He would oppose any proposal which would have the effect of paying anything less than the full wages to workers incapacitated while engaged in following their occupations. Mr C Springer (Canteruury) supported the motion, and Mr W. Hood (Otago) suggested that the movers of the motion and amendment should endeavour to embody both proposals in one motion. : He was strongly in favour of paying full compensation, computed on the' current rate of wagfes, from the date of accident. Mr W. T. Young (Wellington) said the motion would not improve the position of the casual worker, and he would support the amendmentMr D. J. Conchie (Wanganui) and Mr H. J. Haxman (Hawke's Bay) also spoke. The chairman expressed himself strongly in favour of the motion, and said that if the amendment were adopted it would onlycause confusionIn replying, 'Mr Barr (Canterbury) said the motion and amendment showed the difference between a settled and a wavering mind. "He expressed surprise that a considerable number of workers* hesitated to ask for what they were justly entitled to, viz., full pay from time of accident. He claimed that the motion would meet all cases, casual workers included, and hoped that the waverers -would recognise that the Canterbury motion only asked for what was just and rignt. : On a division being taken, the result^was — For the amendment 10, against 10. In accordance with the standing orders the amendment was consequently negatived. Mr J. R. Cole (Hawke's Bay) moved an amendment to provide tor full pay from date of accident, the amount to be computed on the amount he should have received had his employment been, continuous for one or more weeks. The amendment was put and lost. The original motion was then carried! by 9 votes to 7. / ' Mr C. Springer (Canterbury) moved — " That the Government should be ur^ed to amend the Workers' Compensation for Acci-d-ents Act, in the direction of making it legal for Unions to sue for compensation; on behalf of persons injured." The motion wa» carried unanimously, without discussion. | Mr C. Springer (Canterbury) moved' — " That the power should be extended to employee to make application for a lump sum in a case of permanent injury." The motion was seconded and strongly supported by Mr S. Woodcock (Hawke'a Bay). Mr H. Bettß (Westland) moved as an amendment — -"*Fhat tie Workers' Compensation Act should "be amendied to provide that « Workers' Union (on behalf of the person injured) or -other person should be allowed to claim a lump sum in case of permanent injury, instead of a weekly allowance, as under the ejristing law." The amendment was lost by 7 votes to 10, and Mr Springer's motion was carried. On the motion of Mr A. Rosser (Auckland), (seconded by Mr J. T. Paul (Otago), it was unanimously agreed — "That the! Workers' Compensation Act should be further- amended, giving the worker- the same power as the employer, that is, to ask for a lump sum. wfoen the injury is permanent, and that the total, sum be increased from £300 to £600." Mr R. Breen (Otago) moved—" That the Government should be urged to make provision by which risks, declined by other accident insurance companies, through partial disablement, should be insured under special arrangements with the Government Insurance Department." MrW. T. Young (Wellington) seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS. Mr A. Rosser (Auckland) maved— "That it be an instruction to the incoming exeoutive to draft an amendment to the Conciliation and "Arbitration Act, asking for preference to Unionists, and to forward it to the' Minister of Labour." \' ■ ' Mr S. Woodcock (Hawke's Bay), in seconding the motion, said the Premier had promised that a measure giving preference j to Unionists would have been passed last ! session. The Bill introduced into the House was def eated^by c large majdirty, and he was afraid the Premier was dallying with the question. He urged that the question of preference to Unionists should be placed in the forefront of the platform adopted by the conference. Mr W. Hood (Otago) expressed himself strongly in favour of compulsory preference to Unionists. Mr J. Foster (Westland) moved, as an amendment—-" That where awards of the Court of Arbitration or industrial agree- , ments are in force, workers shall be mem- ; bers of Unions." • j Mr H. Betts, in seconding the amendment, said he did not quite understand what waa implied by cumpulsory preference. He was decidedly against allowing Unionists and non-Unionists working together. In the home of Unionism, in the North of Eng* land, the presence of one non-Unionist in a mine would cause all Unionists to remain .above ground, and he claimed that Unionists in this colony should take up the same attitude. . '