Minutes of evidence of the departmental committee appointed to inquire and report whether the following diseases can properly by added to those enumerated in the third schedule of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906 : namely: (1) cowpox, (2) Dupuytren's Contraction, (3) Clonic spasm of the eyelids, apart from nystagmus, (4) writers' cramp.

Great Britain. Departmental Committee on Compensation for Industrial Diseases

Date:: 1913

Credit: Minutes of evidence of the departmental committee appointed to inquire and report whether the following diseases can properly by added to those enumerated in the third schedule of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906 : namely: (1) cowpox, (2) Dupuytren's Contraction, (3) Clonic spasm of the eyelids, apart from nystagmus, (4) writers' cramp. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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26° October 1912.] Mr. [ Continued. list, and I should think there are more than double that who dare not come forward on account of the fear of losing their situation. I might say as far as this Inquiry is concerned, it has not met with the general approval of the workpeople on account of the fear of having to go through an examination when they go for a situation. 565. (Chairman.) We thought of asking you as to that. That has suggested itself to us because there is so much time in the development of the desease. There is ample ‘time, supposing an employer should be so advised, to give notice or get rid of the workman. There is that. difficulty, which you quite appreciate of course ’—Yes, but I thought that difficulty might be overcome in this way.’ Assuming for the moment that it was scheduled for compensation and an employer turned a workman away because he was suffering from it, that would be positive: proof I should say when the case came into court. 566. (Judge Ruegg.) I’ have to try these cases un- fortunately, and you could not say what an employer turned a man away for. He might have a hundred excuses ?—That is so. It is a very easy matter to find fault. (Judge Ruegg.) I think it might be impossible to say he turned him away for this. I think it would be impossible in the vast majority of cases to say it. 567. (Chairman.) You realise that difficulty, do you not ?—Yes, certainly ; and one or two of the men I have here are half afraid to come. 568. Are they still in employment ’—Yes, with the exception of two. I may say that one of them, * Mr. R.” we will call him, had to give up his position. I might say when I formed this list, Mr. Hatock and Dr. Collis came and examined the machines. Of course, Mr. Hatock had seen them often enough before, but Dr. Collis came and I went round to Doughty’s factory with them'on a Thursday afternoon. On the Friday morning when I was going up to the office I met this Mr. R. coming away from the factory. He said, “It is no use, I cannot go on any longer. I have had to give up on account of this,” and he showed me. That was the very next morning. I thought then it was time something was done. This man had to give up his occupation, and it was only the fact of his being 65 years of age that made it that he could give it up. He has a small superannuation from us, only 3s. 6d. a ‘week. Now he has a little occupation as a waiter in a public house. He does so many hours at night and works on Saturday afternoons. That is the one I should take first because he has to get back. That is the unfortunate part. He'has to give up his occupation as a lace maker and wait in a tap-room. 569. What wages would he be having when he was a workman ?—I worked shop-mates with him, and at the time I was working with him the trade was pretty brisk. He was pretty well employed for the whole week, and he would be earning from 45s. to 50s. a week. Of course, his earning capacity was gradually being lessened. 570. At any rate, he had been employed a iong time before you ?—Yes. 571. He is an older man than poate, of course ?— Yes, he is 60 odd. 572. When he was your shop-mate, did you notice his hands ?—No. As a matter of fact I have seen different twist hands with this disease, and always looked upon it as muscular rheumatism myself. 573. With regard to these cases of members’ of your society, how do you deal with them: do you give them any grant ?—Not unless they finish work. 574. As long as they were at work they would not be incapacitated, and you would not give them any- thing >—No. °575. How many of them are there that you give grants to ?—The one I alluded to? 576. No, because they have had to give up their occupation on account of this disease. Could you help us with any figures ?—There is only one we have given that special grant to. Others have had their sick benefits, and when that was exhausted they have had nothing but emergency benefit. The emergency ‘benefit covers twelye months, and the ‘sick benefit twelve weeks. But-both the amounts are the same, that is 7s. 6d. a week for twelve weeks sick benefit, and after that they would have 7s. 6d. a month for’ 12 months, and they can make application for a renewal of this benefit. 577. (Judge Ruegg.) Does this come under sick benefit >—Yes, it is emergency. It always will if chby are incapacitated from work. 578. (Chairman.) It has been suggested to us that the number of cases is verysmall—of course we are helped with statistics on that, and it is for us to judge —and that it is also to be attributed to employment outside the factory. Is it your experience that the twist hands have allotments to a considerable extent ? —I do not know what that can be attributed - to outside. ’ 579. For instance, are there a great many allotment holders in this district >—Yes. * 580. Do you consider them by the hundreds or the thousands ?—There will be hundreds, we will say. 581. In the neighbourhood of the town ?—Yes. 582. Are there a great many twist hands who have these allotments ?—Not a very great percentage ; they are mostly fishermen. They would not get this from holding a rod and a line. 583. (Judge Ruegg.) That has been suggested ?— Fishermen } 584. Yes ?—He would be a good fisherman getting some very heavy fish on at times. 585. Is it your experience that the men are at all careless in the use of levers they have to work ?—No, I do not see how they can be. The weight has to be lifted, and they lift it in the best way they can. 586. Is putting their hand over the top a common way of doing it?—Say that is the lever. That is the way. (The witness took hold of a pen and pe a ta ut round with his hand.) 587. Clasping it round ?—Yes. ; 588. (Chairman.) That “is the ordinary way ?— Yes. 589. Not putting your hand over ?—Sometimes. It just depends on the position you are in. If the handle is here (handle down), you are there. If you are here, then the handle is there (handle up), then it would be a different position. Do you mean in ‘this way (holding hand over the top of pen) ? 590. Yes P—No, never. 591. (Sir Clifford Allbutt.) T never saw them do that ?>—They could not do it. You could not do this. (Witness took’ hold. of a poker, holding the top in the palm of his hand.) 592. (Chatrman.) Have you made any inquiries in in other industries P—Very little ; I have been rather afraid. 595. From such inquiries as you have made, do you think this disease is rather peculiar to twist hands ?— More so to the lace than any. Ihave found it amongst railway pointsmen, masons and gardeners. That is what you were alluding to with regard to the allotments. Carpenters have it, and in the hosiery trade we can find only one man suffering from it. I am speaking now of the organised workers. 594. You made inquiries, I suppose, from the trade unions ?—That is so. 595. Of course the special object of your society, I take it, is to have this disease scheduled as far as the lace makers’ trade is concerned ’—That is so. 596. (Judge Ruegg.) I gather that your society embrages about 2,000 twist-hands ?—Yes. 597. Could you give us any idea of the number of iit hands altogether employed in this district ?—Do you mean outside Nottingham ? 598. In Nottingham and the distr ict ?—No, I could not give you that number. 599. But would it be a very much greater number than 2,000 ?—-Roughly speaking, I should say it would appr oach 4,000. 600. Then your union ee about a half ?— More than a half. 601. More than balf of the total number employed in this particular branch of the industry >—Yes ; so far as Nottingham 1 is concerned, 99 per cent. ‘of the workers. '

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