of a recent enquiry into earnings by the Ministry of Labour, that the amount of compensation paid in 1926 per £1 of wages was a little under 1d. and that both for quarries and for constructional work, the figure would be between 2d. and 21d. Information obtained from the railway companies indicates that in this industry the figure would be just under 1d. which is about the same as in 1925. As regards shipping, it would appear from the figures shown in Table 1 on page 16, that the amount of compensation paid per ton of shipping was 3.8d. as compared with 3.4d. in 1925.

In Table 4 are given particulars of the duration of compensation in each of the industries. The table below shows, with regard to the accident cases, the proportions in each group for each of the industries and the proportions in 1926 as compared with 1924 and 1925 for the combined industries. The figures disclose a substantial increase in the percentage of cases lasting for four weeks and over, the increase being specially marked in the mining industry (see page 6).

It must be borne in mind that cases terminated by payment of a lump sum are not taken into account in the foregoing table. These cases are usually cases in which the disablement is likely to last for a considerable period-as the payments made (see Table 5) show-and therefore if such cases were included, the proportion of cases of disablement of longer duration would be higher than the figures in the last two columns of the table indicate.

The 368,563 disablement cases included 61,141 continued from 1925. 315,517 cases were terminated during the year, leaving 53,046 cases outstanding. Of these outstanding cases 28,595 had lasted one year or more, including 3,526 cases (mostly in the mining industry) which had lasted ten years or over.

The following table groups the non-fatal cases of accident and disease according to duration of disablement.

Duration of Compensation. (Cases of Accident and Disease.)

It will be observed that there is a marked difference as regards duration between the figures for accidents and disease, particularly in the first and fourth groups.

Table 5 shows the number of cases in which the workman's claim was settled by a lump sum payment, and the amount so paid. Out of 368,563 cases, 18,089 were settled by payment of a lump sum, either at once or after a period during which a weekly payment was made.

The tables give particulars concerning the various industrial diseases included under the Workmen's Compensation Acts. Compensation was paid, in the seven industries, in 27 fatal cases to the amount of £5,943, and in 14,751 disablement cases to the amount of £599,393. The number of "continued cases " was 8,935, or 60.6 per cent. of the total number of disablement cases (in the case of accidents the proportion was only 14.8 per cent.), and they accounted for £453,169, or over 75 per cent. of the total disablement compensation paid for industrial diseases. The 27 fatal cases included 9 of lead poisoning, 1 of anthrax, 1 of poisoning by nitrous fumes, 1 of dermatitis, 10 of epitheliomatous cancer, 4 of nystagmus, and 1 of beat knee.

As in previous years the bulk of the cases occurred in the mining industry, but as a result of the coal mining stoppage, the number of cases in the mining industry fell from 15,782 in 1925 to 13,192 in 1926. The majority of the cases were due to miner's nystagmus, beat hand and beat knee. Those diseases, together with beat elbow and inflammation of the synovial lining of the wrist joint and tendon sheaths, numbered 13,270 or 89.8 per cent.

of the total number of cases. Of the remainder, 837, or 5.7 per cent. were cases of dermatitis produced by dust or liquids, 346 or 2.3 per cent., were cases of lead poisoning, and 227, or 1.5 per cent., were cases of skin or other ulceration or cancer. The remaining 98 cases, or 7 per cent., included 43 cases of various forms of industrial poisoning and 30 cases of anthrax.

New cases of miner's nystagmus show a large decrease on the number for 1925, but there was an increase in the number of continued cases. The total number of cases amounted to nearly 68 per cent. of all cases of industrial disease. The growth in the number of cases of this disease since 1908, the first full year after the disease was scheduled under the Act, is very striking.

Cases of dermatitis have also been steadily growing, from 270 in 1919 to 837 in 1926. They occur in a great variety of industries, but chiefly among workmen employed in the baking and confectionery trades and in dyeing.

Compensation for silicosis.--Under the Scheme of compensation for silicosis for the Refractories Industries (ganister mines and quarries and factories engaged in the manufacture of silica bricks and similar articles for lining furnaces) which was outlined in the Statistics for 1925 (pages 12 and 13), compensation was paid during the year in 249 cases of disablement (of which 194 were continued from previous years and 55 were new cases). Five of these cases terminated fatally and the compensation due in case of death was paid. At the end of the year there were 234 cases in receipt of weekly payments under the Scheme, 46 for total incapacity and 188 for partial incapacity. The total amount paid in compensation during the year was £10,730, of which £957 was in respect of death claims and £9,773 for disablement.

During the period from 1st May, 1925, when the Medical Board was appointed, until 31st December, 1926, the Board carried out 1,839 periodic examinations of workmen, including 426 initial examinations of new workmen. 73 persons were suspended from

further employment in the industry (two on account of tuberculosis); 65 with impairment of physical capacity due to silicosis or silicosis accompanied by tuberculosis, and 6 without impairment of physical capacity. Radiographic examinations were made in 145 cases, in 20 of which the opinion of a radiologist was also obtained. 15 certificates were given in case of death, 13 of which were given after post-mortem examination. There were 482 re-examinations of workmen in receipt of weekly payments of compensation.

During the year the income of the Fund amounted to £14,846 and the outgoings £15,298. The balance available for outstanding claims at 31st December was £31,915 against £32,367 at the end of 1925. In addition to £10,730 paid in compensation during 1926, £4,568 went in expenses, including medical expenses (£2,200), expenses of Joint Committees (£278), secretarial and administrative expenses (£1,106), Directors' fees and expenses (£978).

Part II.-General Statistics as to Administration of the Acts.

The total number of cases under the Workmen's Compensation Acts which were taken into court in Great Britain in 1926 was 6,311. Many of these, however, were applications for dealing with allowances already granted, and many were settled out of court or otherwise disposed of, so that the total number of original claims for compensation finally settled with the cognizance of the courts was only 2,947. The decision in 2,194 cases, or 74.4 per cent., was in favour of the applicant.

There were 27,775 cases in which memoranda of agreements and informal arbitrations were registered in the courts.

The number of cases under the Workmen's Compensation Acts in Great Britain carried to the Courts of Appeal was 109. In addition, there were 11 appeals from these courts to the House of Lords.

The total number of cases under the Employers' Liability Act, 1880, taken into court in the whole of Great Britain, was 42, as compared with 583 in 1907, when the Act of 1906 came into full operation. Subject to minor fluctuations the figures have steadily diminished and clearly show that the remedy provided by the older Act has been falling into disuse.

The following table shows the extent of proceedings in the courts in Great Britain under the Workmen's Compensation and Employers' Liability Acts since the year 1919:—

There was an increase of 465 or 8 per cent. in the number of applications for arbitration in 1926 over the number for 1925, but as pointed out in the introductions to previous volumes there has been a big decrease in litigation since the beginning of the war, the number of applications for arbitration in recent years being less than 70 per cent. of the pre-war figures.

Among the agreements which are now required to be registered are cases where the employer, while disputing liability under the Acts, agrees to compromise by the payment of a lump sum. The returns for 1926 show 415 cases of agreements under this category which were sent and accepted for registration.

Information has also been obtained as to the exercise of the enlarged powers conferred on the county courts of refusing to record the memorandum of a lump sum agreement when the sum agreed is inadequate. In 1926 there were 652 cases where the Registrar refused to record the memorandum as first presented, but subsequently recorded it without reference to the Judge after the original amount agreed had been increased. In 379 cases he referred the matter to the Judge and in 122 of these cases the memorandum was ordered to be recorded after the sum originally agreed had been increased.

Medical Referees.

The number of Medical Referees appointed for the purpose of the Workmen's Compensation Acts, was on 31st December, 1926, in England 208, in Scotland 80. The duties of Medical Referees include:

(a) sitting with a judge, when summoned by him, as assessor

-(Schedule I (5)).

(b) reporting on cases referred to them by a judge, arbitrator or committee (Schedule I (11)).

(c) giving a certificate in cases referred to them at the request of either or both employer and workman, as to the condition of the workman and his fitness for employ