The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-24
The English Act.

The English Employers Liability Act which has served as model for some little legislation in this country was found to be unsatisfactory and in 1897 a law was passed by parliament em- bodying the idea of the legislation en- acted in Germany which is known now as the British Workmen's Compensa- tion Act The opening words of the act state its object: If in any employ ment to which this act applies, person. al injury by accident arising out of and in the course of the employment, is caused to workman his employer shall, subject as hereinafter mention ed, be liable to pay compensation in ac-
 cordance with the first schedule of this act" This act at first applied only to employment in or about a railway, fac-' tory, mine, quarry, or engineering work and to certain kinds of work in the construction and repairs of buildings.
 It was in the year 1900, amended to in-
 clude the employment of workmen in agriculture by any employer who habit ually employs one or more workmen in
 such employment The act provides
 that the employer shall not be liable in | respect of any injury which does not | disable the workman for period of at
 least two weeks from earning full wages at the work at which he was employed, or for those deliberately caused by himself. The amounts of | compensation under this act are limit l ed and are based mainly on the wages | paid the employe in the employment in which he is engaged. It is provided that
 where death results from an injury, if | the workman leaves any dependents
 wholly dependent upon his earnings at
 the time of his death, a sum shall be paid equal to his earnings in the em- | ployment of the same employer during 1 the three years next preceding the in l jury, or the sum of $7299S, whichever
 of those sums is the larger, but not
 exceeding in any case S1,459.95; and if l the workman does not leave any such
 dependents but leaves any dependents
 in part dependent upon his earnings at
 the time of his death, sum under no
 circumstances larger than those just
 mentioned but which shall be found
 reasonable under all the conditions of
 the case, to be determined by afbitra-
 tion as provided under this act; and if he leaves no dependents, the req. sonal expenses of his medical attend.
 ance and burial, not exceeding $4S.6Z
 Where total or partial incapacity fol work results from the injury. a week. 1 ly payment shall be made during the
 incapacity after the second week, not
 exceeding fifty per cent. of his average
 weekly earnings during the previous l twelve months, if he has been so long employed, but if not then for any less | period during which he has been in the l employment of the same employer, such | weekly payment not to exceed S4.S7. This act contains many other provis-
 ions as to notice and procedure. It is | supplemental to the other laws affecting the relations between employers and employees and does not deprive the em. | ploye of his right of action for an in- I jury which was caused by the personal l negligence or the wilful act of the em- 1 ployer or of some person for whose act ] or default the employer is responsible. Tn This Counfrv