Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-14
DISTRICT LABOR BILLS
Measures Now Urged by the Federation
Committee.
Proposed Prcfermcnt of Working
mems Claims in Case of Assign
ments-Employers' Liability.

Reference has heretofore been made in
The Star to the fact that Mr.. E. NJ Blake,
chairman of the legislative committee of
the Federation of Labor. has prepared sew
eral bills which, If enacted into laws by
Congress, will be of much benefit to the
working people of the District generally.
Effort will be made to secure action as
early possible upon two of these bills
one relating to the liability Of employers
and the other for the preferment of wages.
The full text of the bill to provide for
the preferment Of wages of employees in
cases Of assignment. execution. in pay
ment by receivers, etc, is as follows:
Hereafter when the property of any
company corporation, firm or person shall
be seized upon by any process of any court
of the District Of Columbia or when their
business shall be suspended by the action
of creditors or be put into the hands of
receiver or trustee, then in all such cases
the debts owing to employees, which have
occurred by reason of their labor or en-
ployment, to an amount not exceeding one
hundred dollars to each employe for work
or labor performed within six months next
preceding the seizure or transfer of such
property, shall be considered and treated
as preferred debts, and such employees shall
be preferred creditors, and shall be first
paid in full, after debts due to the United
States ard debts due to and taxes assessed
by the District of Columbia; and II there
be not sufficient to PAY them in full, then
the same shall be paid to them pro rata,
after paying costs. Any such employe de-
string to enforce his or her claim for wages
under this act shall present q statement
under cath, showing the amount due, after
allowing all just credits and set-ofs, the
kind of work for which wages are due, and
when performed, to the officer person, or
court charged with such property within
ten days after the seizure thereof. On any
execution or writ of attachment, or within
hirfv
placed in the hands of any receiver or
trustee; and thereupon 1t shall be the duty
of the person or court receiving such
statement to pay the amount of such claim
or claims to the person or persons entitled
thereto, after their first paying all costs
occasioned by the seizure of such property
out of the proceeds Of the sale of the prop
erty seized"
Liability of Employers.
The bill relating ito the liability of en-
ployers in the District of Columbia to make
compensation for personal injuries suffered
by employees in their service is as follows:
Where, after the passage of this act,
personal injury is caused to an employee,
who is himself in the exercise Of due care
and diligence at the time: a by reason of
any defect in the condition of the scaffold-
ing, ways, works, machinery, or plant con-
nected with or used in the business of the
employer, which arose from or had not
been discovered or remedied owing to the
Negligence of the employer or any person
in the service of the employer and intruSt-
ed by him with the duty of seeing that the
scaffolding, ways, works, machinery, or plant
were in proper condition; or CD by reason
of the negligence Of any person in the
service of the employer, intrusted with and
exercising superintendent whose sole
principal duty is that of superintendent,
or, in the absence of such superintendent,
Of any person in the service of the employ
er, to whose orders or directions the en-
ploye, at the time Of the injury, was bound
to conform, and did conform, the employe,
or in case the injury results in death, the
legal representative of such employee, shall
have the same right of compensation and
remedies against the employer as if the
employee had not been an employee Of nor in
the service of the employer, nor engaged in
the employers work. And in case such
death is not instantaneous, or is preceded
by conscious suffering, said legal represent
atives may, in the action brought under,
this section, except as hereinafter provided
also recover damages for such death.
The total damage awarded hereunder,
both for said death and said injury, shall
not exceed 5000, and shall be apportioned
by the jury between the legal representa-
tives and the persons, If any, entitled under
the succeeding section of this act, to bring
an action for instantaneous death. If there
are no such persons then no damage for
such death shall be recovered, and the
damages, SO far as the same are awarded