286 



Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906. [august, 



dependent on the deceased. To effect this object, the Act 

 makes the employer liable to pay compensation for such 

 accidents. If the accident causes permanent or temporary 

 disablement, the compensation will be in the form of weekly 

 payments to the injured person while the disablement lasts ; 

 if the accident results in death, the compensation will be a 

 lump sum to be applied for the benefit of such members of 

 the family of the deceased as were dependent upon his earnings 

 at the time of his death. 



The Act does not require employers to insure against these 

 liabilities, but it is advisable that any employer who would 

 find it difficult to meet the heavy charge which might be 

 entailed upon him by a serious accident, should protect 

 himself by insurance with a sound insurance company. 



Relation of the Act of 1906 to the Acts of 1897 and 1900. — 

 The Act of 1906 came into force on the 1st July, 1907, and, 

 as regards accidents happening after that date, supersedes 

 the previous Acts of 1897 and 1900. The new Act makes 

 many important changes. The previous Acts were limited 

 to employment in certain specified and for the most part 

 dangerous industries ; the new Act embraces, subject to 

 certain specified exceptions, employment of every description. 

 The previous Acts compensated only for injuries lasting more 

 than a fortnight ; the new Act compensates for all accidents 

 lasting more than a week. Lastly, the new Act sweeps away the 

 restrictions which limited compensation to accidents happening 

 on, in, or about the premises of the employer, and, as regards 

 agriculture, to cases where the employer habitually employed 

 one or more workmen. 



Injuries to which the Act applies. — There are two classes of 

 injury for which compensation is payable under the Act : 

 (i) injury by accident ; (ii) injury to health from industrial 

 disease. As regards injuries by accident the Act lays down 

 the following conditions : — 



(a) The accident must arise out of the employment, i.e., it 

 must be directly due to the injured person's employment, 

 and it must also happen in the course of the employment. 



(b) The injury must disable the injured person for a period 

 of at least one week from earning full wages at the work at 

 which he was employed. 



