The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1897. A GREAT CONSERVATIVE REFORM.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 11, 16 July 1897, Page 16

The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1897. A GREAT CONSERVATIVE REFORM.

o ONSERVATIVE Governments are not as a rule much given to playing the rule of pioneers in social or labour reform, but the Salisbury Ministry have recently introduced a measure in the Houso of Commons which shows that even a Conservative Government can rise to the occasion and frame legislation in full harmony -^ with the advanced democratic spirit of the times. On Monday, May 3, the Home Secretary, supported by Mr. Chamjjerlaix— who, indeed, is generally credited with being the real author of the measure— introduced a Bill to amend the law with respect to the compensation to be paid to workmen for accidental injuries suffered in the course of their employment, and the proposals of the Government are a very great step in advance of any previous legislation on the subject. The state of the law in the matter of compensation for injuries to workmen certainly left plenty of room for improvement. Up to the present the law has been that a workman was entitled to compensation only when he could prove that his injury was not due to his own negligence, or to the negligence of a fellowworkman, or to " the act of God," i.e., pure accident in which no one was in fault. In other words, to get compensation the workman had to show that the employer was in some way or other responsible for the injury. In almost every case of accident there is reasonable room for dispute as to the cause, and in order to establish his claim for compensation the workman was compelled to incur the heavy cost—which, in most cases, he could ill afford— of protracted litigation. Moreovei, there was serious hardship involved even in cases where the workman's own carelessness was the occasion of the injury. When a man who is tired at the end of a long day's uork lets his hand or foot get caught in machinery it is a real hardship that he should be thus crippled for life, and his wife and family left absolutely unprovided for. "What is wanted on the part of the men is

security that no accident can happen to them without some measure of compensation being paid, that if they are disabled they will be cared for till they are better, and if they are killed their wives and families will be provided for. This want is effectually met by Mr. Chamberlain's new Bill, which quite revolutionises the principles on which compensation has hitherto been paid. Practically the principle on which the new measure is based amounts to this, that where a person, for bis own profit, puts in action agencies which involve risks to others he ought to be legally responsible for the consequences. Under the new Bill the mere fact of injury constitutes a claim for compensation. The Bill provides that in every case in which a personal injury is inflicted on a workman by accident arising out of his employment, or in course of it, compensation is to be paid by the employer at a fixed rate. In case of death his dependents receive a sum equal to his wages for the last three years, or £150, whichever sum is the larger, so long as the total does not exceed £300. In case of disablement for more than a fortnight, half the man's wages are to

be paid to him, but the weekly payments are not to be more than £1. Any questions connected with the employment of a workman and the amount of compensation are to be settled either by mutual agreement or by arbitration committees established between masters and men, or failing these, by the County Court Judge or some arbitrator whose costs will be defrayed by the Treasury. It may be added that if the Registrar of Friendly Societies certifies that any scheme of compensation or insurance is, on the whole, not less favourable than the provisions of the Act, the employer may, until the certificate is revoked, contract with any of the workmen that the provisions of the scheme shall be substituted for the provisions of the Act. It will be seen at a glance what an enormous improvement on the old state of things is effected by these proposals. The element of uncertainty is avoided, litigation is rendered unnecessary, compensation is absolutely assured, and a simple, immediate and effective means of obtaining it is provided. The Bill met with a very friendly reception from the House, the criticism to which it was subjected being practically confined to two points. Mr. Asquith contended that prevention is better than cure, and that the true principle is not to give universal compensation, but to penalise the employer very highly, by making him liable to unlimited compensation if the workman can show that the accident was not due to his own negligence ; in other words, he would make it so expensive for an employer to have his workman injured that he would do everything in his power to prevent accidents. That, however, would still leave the matter to be haggled over in the Law Courts, whereas under the new Bill compensation will be automatic, and legal wrangling on the question is once and for all put an end to. Moreover, the new Bill in time will become essentially prcventativc in its action. If an employer finds that accidents of a particular kind are costing him a considerable sum every year, he will have the strongest possible motive for finding a means of preventing such accidents. The second point in the Bill to which exception is taken is that it applies to only certain selected industries instead of to all. The Act is restricted in its application to " men employed in or about a railway, factory, mine, quarry, or engineering work," thus excluding sailors, agricultural labourers, and the building trade, except where steam power is employed. " Exemptions " — as we have found in the case of New Zealand legislation — are always a source of trouble, and if it were intended that the exclusion of the above classes should be permanent and that no provision whatever should be made for compensation in their caßes the omission would be altogether indefensible. It is proposed, however, to deal with accidents to seamen in a separate Bill, and it is hoped that the scope of the present Act will be gradually extended so as to include those trades which, for the present, are exempt from its provisions. In the meantime, seeing that the Bill is a new departure in legislation, it is pcrhips as well that the (Jovernment should proceed with caution. They have selected the most dangerous trades, and have, at the same time, avoided imposing an unreasonable burden on small employers. And, after all, the Bill has a tolerably extensive scope. For the future, all miners, factory-workers, mill-hands, ship-builders, and all men who work where there are steam-engines, will become entitled to compensation the moment an accident takes place, without any question being asked as to whether or not they were responsible for the accident. This is ;i long step

in the right direction, and we shall be much surprised if a similar measure does not find a place on our statute-book in the coming session of the New Zealand Parliament.

Owing to pressure on our space we are compelled to hold over a number of book notices and other matter

At a meeting of the choir of St. Joseph's Cathedral on Thursday evening, the following were eleoted a choir committee : Messrs A. Vallis (organist), W. T. Ward (conductor), T. Deehan, E. Dunne, P. Carolin, E. Eager and F. Cantwell.

The funeral of the late Mr. E. Price, which took place on Sunday, says the Ashburton Mail of the 6th inst. was largely attended. Between eighty and ninety vehicles followed the hearse and fifty horsemen brought up the rear. Service was conducted in the Catholic Church by the Very Rev. Father O'Donnell, who also conducted service at the grave. The large funeral procession showed in what esteem deceased was held, and the sympathy everywhere felt for the young widow and family. The pall bearers were Messrs Delany, Wooldridge, R. Alexander and John Muller, and in the procession were friends from all parts of the county. Both local racing clubs, the trotting club and the hunt club were largely represented. — J1.1.P.

The quarterly meeting of the Dunedin ladies branch of the Hibernian Society was held on the 7th inst., a large number of members being present. The following officers were elected for the ensuing term :— President, Sister A. Heley ; vice-president, Sister A. O'Rourke ; treasurer, Sister K. Falkner (re-elected) ; secretary, Brother J. O'Connor (re-elected) ; warden. Sister M. Downes ; guardian, Sister G. Seehof ; sick visitors, Sisters E. Falkner and 0. Walsh (both re-elected) ; auditors, Sister Williams and Brother J. Hally (re-elected). A letter from the D. E. Auckland was read threatening to fine the branch if it did not come into compliance by first of August next. It was resolved that a special meeting be called for that night week when the question of amalgamating with the district or not will be finally decided.

Mb. Tighk Ryan, said the Most Rev. Dr. Gallagher,- CoadjutorBishop of Goulburn, in replying at Gundagai, N.S.W., to the toaat of his health, is about to undertake the noblest work that could fall to the lot of any man in Australia, that was the editorship of a Catholic newspaper (the Catholic Press) in Sydney. Dr. Gallagher before concluding, had a good word to say for the " old Freeman which had done good work in the past, and he would not be one to discourage it." Wherever he went he •' would advocate the interests of Catholic journalism, and he would give every assistance to Mr. Ryan."

The drawing of the Port Chalmers grand art-union takes place on Friday next the lC>th July in the Forrester's Hall, Port Chalmers, commencing at 7.80 p.m. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. Innes) will preside. Admission to the drawing will be free and all interested are invited to attend. Those who have not as yet sent in blocks and remittances are requested to do so at once, otherwise they will lose the chance of winning one of the hundred valuable prizes that are to be drawn on Friday.

DuiiiN(i the past week the following subscriptions to the South Dunedin Catholic Orphanage Fund have been received : Rev. Father Howard, C 8 8s ; Mr. Justice Williams, £8 3s ; Mr. M. Flemming, £1 Is ; Mr. W. T. Ward, £1 Is ; Mr. J. H. Hancock, £1 Is ; Rev. Bro. Bodkin, £1 Is ; Mrs. Dwyer, 10s ; Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs, 10s. Contributions towarls the erection of the Orphanage will be thankfully received by the Sisters of Mercy of South Dunedin and the Catholic clergy of Dunedin, and will be duly acknowledged in the columns of the Tablet.

Before leaving for Rome. Cardinal Vaughan had under consideration the preliminary arrangements for holding a special Catholic pilgrimage in honour of the thirteenth centenary of the landing of St. Augustine on our shores. As at present arranged, the pilgrimage, which takes place sometime in the early autumn, after an imposing religious ceremony in the church of the Benedictine Order in Ramsgate, will make its way to the spot on the Kentish coast which the concensus of historical opinion has fixed upon as the landing place of St. Augustine. Besides Cardinal Vaughan, most of the other members of the Catholic hierarchy will take part in the pilgrimage, which will also be attended by the Duke of Norfolk and other prominent Catholic laymen in the country. The Paris correspondent of the Daily New* states that the Count De Greffulhe has settled £KX)O on a young footman who saved the life of the Countess Dowager at the Bazaar de la Charite by carrying her out of the furnace, risking his life in doing so. The clergy of Paris intead to pjrpetuate the memory of the victims of the charity bazaar by the establishment of a foundation. This htep was resolved upon at a meeting held at the Archbishop's' palaci-. Cardinal Richard will purchase the site of the bazaar in the Hue Jean Goujon and an institution for general charitable purpo->t> will be established there, with a chapel.