The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-12-15
.A|LRR0ADS KILL MORE
MEN THAN FOREIGN WAR
In Twelve Days There Are More
Men Killed Than Were Lost
in the Philippines.
DR.. Josiah Strong Shows Deadli-
ness of Our Modern In
dustrial Juggernaut.

dustrial Juggernaut.
Taking the lowest of our three
estimates of industrial accidents, the
total number of casualties suffered
by our industrial army in one year
Is equal to the average annual cas-
ualties Of our civil war, plus those
of the Philippine war, plus those
of the Russian and japanese war
Think Of our carrying on three
such wars at the same time world
without end!"
This is the rather startling way
In which DR.. Josiah Strong, presi-
dent of the American Institute Of
Social Service, emphasizes the fear
full sacrifice of life to "Our Indus
trail Juggernaut."
The comparison between the loss
of life in the Industries and in the
war fails, of course, at one point.
War is altogether destructive, while
the Industries give something in re-
turn for the lives taken.
Dr.. Strong at the outset of his
article in the North American Re-
view calls attention to the fact that,
while the railroad casualties attract
great deal Of attention, they are
only a small proportion Of the cas-
ualt1es that take place in the in
dustrial world
1T Is important to gain some
idea of the great numbers who are
annually sacrificed by accidents in
our American INDUSTRIES says DR..
strong, "As compared with Euro
pean governments, our state legis-
latures have generally been strange
~ Indifferent to the whole subject.
The laws Of only eleven of our
states require the reporting of ac-
c1dents in factories; and a careful
examination reveals but single
state whose laws require the report
Ing o. accidents: In all industries ;.
working, however, from data de-
rived from widely divergent sources,
DR.. Strong shows the minimum num-
ber Of industrial accidents in this
country In year must be consider
ably more than 100000.
when in all history" he asks,
nave two great armies been able to
1nfllct on each other a total of half
a million casualties in a single year?
This Is SO per cent more than all
the killed and wounded in the late
war between Japan and Russia.
mere are moro casualties on
our railways in single year than
| Jnere were on both sides of the
Boer war in three years.
! Last year on our RAILWAYS we
killed as many every thirty-seven
days and wounded as many everv
twelve days as all our killed and
wounded In the 1861 engagements
OF the Philippine war. Or, in other
WORDS, there were twenty-four times
as many casualties on our RAILWAYS
IN one year as our army suffered
In the Philippine war in three years
and three months
At that rate we might have con-
t1nued the war for seventy-eight
years before equaling the record of
our railways in twelve-month.
And we must not forget that less
than one-fifth of the losses of orr
industrial army are suffered on our
railways. That is to say, we might
carry on half dozen Philipnine
wars for three-quarters of a century
with no larger number of casualties
than take place yearly in our peace
full industries.
We are waging a perpetual war
on humanity says DR.. Strong, "and
one which is apparently growing
bloodier from year to year."
He quotes government statistics
to show that on the railroads, to a
given number of passengers, there
were twice as many killed in 1905
as In 1895, and continues:
Europe is far in advance of
America In protecting workmen
from needless accidents both by
legislation and by safety appliances
The association of French Indus
trialists for the Prevention of Acct
dents, by reason of it's varied and
benef1cent activities, was declared to
be of public utility as long aoo
as 1887. There was a general ~
position of Accident Prevention IN
Germany in 1889. Immediately af-
ter its close there was Organized
in Vienna Museum of Security
and of Industrial Hygiene.
There are now half dozen such
museums in Europe, one having been
organized in Paris, last December
and formally opened by the presi.
dent of the republic. Even hack.
ward Russia shames us by her Mn.
scum Of Security at Moscow. Ans
tria has had a score of exposit,ons
of safety appliances for the educa.
tion Of the people.
Governments and public-spirlted
citizens have We'd with each othe,
in providing funds for such insti-
tutions. Here the greatest of all in
dustrial peoples has attempted lit
tie by legislation and nothing by
organized effort.
I'm view of these facts it is not
strange that in the same Industries