The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
PROTECTION OF wORKMEN.
AN ENGLIsH LABOR Law AND AN
ACT PROPOSED At ILBANT.

FOR Accidental ~1u1uries 20 Workunen-Ar-
guuents Cepcernins q Similar Bmi Passed
In R~nelana-ERec OF the Proposed Law.
A measure Of great Importance. entitled IAN
act TO provide compensation to workmen for
accidental injuries suffered In tho course Of
their employment" has been introduced at
Albany by Senator Ford. In explaining the
bill, Senator Ford informs us that 1t provides
for compensation to workmen engaged In GER
tain occupations. including the most hazard
Gus. for all accidents arising out Of their en-
ploymont. It 10 not directed at employer and
docs not imply that they do not deal Justly with
their mon. Il Is intended to cause the cost Of
these accidents to be included In tho working
expenses Of the business, as are rents, insur-
ances, accidents to machinery, &C.. none OF
which IL the employers fault, but all Of which,
together with cost Of material and wages Of la
Dor, fall on hin as the only means by which
they can be added to the price of the product,
and 30 DO paid eventually by the consumer.
In a tclegraphic despatch from Albany 1 no
tice that the promoters Of this bill assert that
while the bill may be regarded a. q radical mea-
sure for this country, IL does not widely differ
from the Workmen's Compensation act Of 1897.
which was passed by Parliament and became .
law last year in England. It Is q curious fact.
and one which I have observed and commented
on at different times for the last fifteen or
twenty years. that, radical as are some Of the
utterances by our trades unions and labor so
c~ieties, when It comes to q really radical legis-
lative measure for the uplifting and benent Of
tho working classes the stolid obstinate, phleg-
matte British workmen seems. as an invariable
rule, to get there first. + have always been .
strong believer In organized labor and trades
unions. These organizations are stronger and
have far moro effect on legislation In England
than they have here. OF course, the answer to
this is that q law enacted in Parliament ap-
plies TO the whole United Kingdom, whereas
our labor organizations have to 60 to forty
four distinct State Legislatures. to say nothing
of the Territories. Granting this fact and We
still have tho instance of the successful intro
duction of what is called the Fair Wages reso-
luton. In this case tho resolution establishing
trades union rates Of WAGES, hours OF employ
ment, only applied to the work Of tho several
Government departments. At the same time
e epSy 'r and p %T,SpS % Oh , enSsen the mn pas su,Te'o OF tS h
resolution by two or threo hundred towns, In.
Guiding LONDON and all the great cities Of the
work, whether contracted for by. private indi.
viduRls or carried on by the municipality. Thus
English trades unions show Capacity FOR handling
minor legislative bodies Of the country as well
Experience teaches that the newspaper man,
when opportunity affords. should not fail to in
ject. Last August, when in London, the Work.
ingmen's Compensation act passed Parliament
sea sSfSn is q ADVANCE l1S; Be al ths t 'hnt Fp ssssss is rs
SOME other material relating, Thereto. which.
now that We have identically the same bill be-
fore the New York Legislature. comes in use.
full. The workinsmen's Coz pens ton act
steered. however. by that Conservative Liberal
Or Liberal Conservative. the Hon. Joseph Cham:
i Ger she io @e1 Rouse. Wills so Ior spe saifsS 81 reI him. m.
solf fatherod It in the House Of Lords; 1t was
tsal'y pa a fgsV a Is. 1vfdl'"s few s%mendmon Is. TIE act
as fR"IME NJ passed hssa, Tas t BraS S4sst yL, { pdll I sassn
measure was proposed by the Liberal party. it
was universally denounced by, the Conserya-
In the hands Of Lord Salisbury and Mr.. Cham:
berlain ,:and after some Of the harshness of the
BY the manufacturer without open opposition;
though | heard in all parts Of England a good
mf Thse Rsamd taken ai BY % the Pri%o Minister INST p
forcing the passage Of this measure through
task .as .' %as p pEa tssiS; tie ear same aH' as t thai, Which
Senator Ford indicates in an interview he will
H; %s1SERar In u ne N sdy9 %org. OF ns tine Slll t 6s,SF thu the m sss.
urs Il td intended ssIisb to ss s0eta lils; Thai Iba, tss gs sne
sentative legislation has hitherto respected,
Il Is scarcely accurate to say that In ENGLAND
the discretion Of employers, except for tn" pur.
pose Of saving life. Or even Of preventing grave
| injury 70 neaiIU. L COuu Ctc u NuS
Of instances in which the State in England has
interposed for the sake Of recurring other than
relations with other classes. And. as q matter
of fact, the Workingmen'sCompensation bill aims
at ma mu Sbie m9f e than To p,6Py ysfSyen eomgcn asetdenf tor dts lis
the wage Garner. and to extend this benefit to
cidentalIy the claim was made. and I think may
be reasonably hoped for, that the act will en-
courage vigilance and caution-ht any rate on
the part of those who have to pay the amounts
One of the best speeches made in tho House of
Lords during the passage of this bill was by the
Bishop, Of Winchester. In which he said 1t for
iva ot I ms sfiTnda a%pis 5 soapsnSaeIoS OF tho = f R9it
charge on the industry, itself: Ultimately, #
law had not been passed; the consumer viii
have to pay In the price Of the Ssommodity;n bnt
a rystem which will render impossible those
scenes Of suffering and distress in the home of
painfully familiar. The, rather nieo point was
the %eu passage anas e OF this act aettu the families Of those
who were Killed or injured In employment
r witsCV WHICH, fiSnP Ps Hsla s.i Tsss ss briefly r Hn1a a tss
IN answer to the charge that the Workmen's
threw the responsibility on those who haye.no
interest in wages or profits, a portion of tho
eltSer some one to make additional profits Or tho
consumer to get cheaper articles, Tho Work.
owner is to be liable in future for ali the Incl.
dents of cost. including accidents, places the
burden on the industry and indirectly relieves
the workman from the consequences OF not
having insured himself.
1t is impossible TO forecast the effect OF such
o law in this country should IL merely pass two
or three State Legislatures. II 1t could be mode
a law as applied to the whole United States,
and thus cover q vast army of workmen,i 1t would
be different. Somehow ! think that tho frat
tendency of this sort Of laws in q state 10 to
Cause tho migration of industries to States
whore the laws relating To labor arc loss &c.
we're on tho employer: Az least a part of the
migration of the cotton industry from New
England to the South may be attributed to tho
more stringent laws governing the conduct Of
trade in New England than in the Southern
States. Ultimately, when all our States adopt
such measures. the effect will Undoubtedly be
moro certain and more widely felt. On the
pensation act. when IL was once through Par
Lament, applied to tho whole United Kingdom
nmmher az wnrkmnn nmnlnYrd In the Tnitnd