271

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13 June, 1911.] Naturalisation. [Bth Day. Mr. BATCHELOR : I should like to say, as far as I can see, that I am not quite sure that all of those clauses are necessary, but I certainly agree with them all. Sir JOHN SIMON : They are really your suggestions. Mr. CHURCHILL : They are aides memoire for drafting the Bill. Mr. BATCHELOR : I should like, personally, to express my pleasure that the Conference has come to a decision which, I think, will be very useful and have very good results. The CHAIRMAN: I think we may have time, Sir Joseph, to deal with the uniformity of laws, which is next on the Agenda. I take it that the three resolutions on naturalisation which stand first are now withdrawn, and this one substituted. [Agreed.] Uniformity in Accident Compensation Law. " That it is in the best interests of the Empire that there should be more uniformity throughout its centres and dependencies in the law of ... Accident Compensation." Sir JOSEPH WARD : In moving this resolution, which is in the following terms : " That it is in the best interests of the Empire that there should be more uniformity throughout its centres and dependencies in the law of accident compensation," I want to say that it seems to me to be desirable that the principle of payment by the employer of compensation for injury sustained by the employee in the course of his work should be adopted throughout the Empire. At present Workmen's Compensation Acts are in force in Great Britain, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia, and other countries. In some of these Acts the right to compensation is limited to those dependants who are domiciled in the country in which the accident happens. In the case of a worker coming from Great Britain to, say, New South Wales, and meeting with a fatal accident there, compensation would not be payable to his dependants who were left in the country of his domicile. In the New Zealand Act there is power given to extend by Order in Council the benefits of the Act to dependants domiciled in any country which makes similar reciprocal provisions, and under that power reciprocity has been established with Great Britain, Queensland, and Western Australia. I think it is important that in the case of accidents we should insure that payment should be made in all parts. I do not see any reason why Great Britain should not agree to a proposal of the kind. We want to adopt the British system. Mr. CHURCHILL : I think we may claim that we are as far advanced on this road as any one. We even pay compensation to aliens, and the relations of aliens would not be deprived of it even if they were not residents in this country at all if their bread-winner were injured in an accident, and, of course, a fortiori, we would do it to all representatives of the self-governing colonies or British subjects of the Empire.||[So that you have no dispute with us on the subject at all. Sir JOSEPH WARD : No ; there is no quarrel with the Imperial Government. What we ask is that the British system should be made universal throughout the Empire. You have no objection to that. Mr. CHURCHILL : I think New Zealand and this country are the only two who have this system. Is not that so ?

35—A. 4.