25 FEBRUARY 1893, Page 2
On Monday, Mr. Asquith introduced the Employers' Liability Bill. The
principle on which the Bill is founded is. that, "where a person on his own responsibility sets in motion agencies which create risk for others, he ought to be civilly responsible for the consequences." This principle is, however, to be limited by allowing the employer to plead in defence that there was "contributory negligence" of the injured man. Workmen are not to be allowed to contract themselves out of the Act; and the definition of a workman is in future to include sailors.