The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1907-07-31
GafAItR3 THAI DEATHS ON Battlefield
Over Half Million Men and Women
Annually Are Killed or Injured in
the United States While Engaged
in Productive Labor - Enormous
Sum. Needed to Support Those In
Ccopocitated.

| In the same period In the United
States alone the great army of Ameri-
can laborers engaged In manufactur-
ing and building operations suffered a
loss of $4,000 killed and injured: 80.
ooV more lives were sacrificed to in
dustrial progress In one year than dur
ing the greatest conflict of recent
times.
Statistics of the interstate com.
merce commission show that S4.ll5
people were injured aud 10.O46 killed
on the railroads during the year end
ing June 30. 1904. Sufficient data has
been accumulated by the United
States government and other re-
sponsible authorities to show that at
least 800 men are annually killed or
injured in anthracite mining alone.
and $4,000 in factory and building OPP
erations. making the grand total ap-
proximately $4,000.
Total Death Roll Greater.
These estimates are conservative.
IL the exact number of accidents was
known this total would be greatly in
creased.
In converting facts into figures Mr..
Clarence Marx. who. with other re-
sponsible investigators, has given sew
eral years OF study to the relation of
crippled and unemployed persons to
industry. presents a startling array.
or the $4,000 workers mentioned Is
per cent. or $4,000 to struggle
per cent. only are killed. leaving SIS
against their handicaps. Estimating
that at least so per cent. or 222 900 of
these are able to earn S225 each an
nually. which is SO per cent of the
annual average earnings of able
bodied artisans. we have a total of
$i9.s50.00O. This is the loss in earn
ing power.
Safely assuming that these persons
they earn We would have loss in
production of approximately $780,
900 900 annually.
But this is only half the truth. II
these 222,0OO wage earners are not re-
established they must sooner or later
be supported by the state. 1t is also
evident that the other 222 900 who are
totally disabled will also become a
burden on the taxpayers.
Poor relief statistics show that 1t
costs $4,000 to support pauper dur
ing his natural life time. To be con-
sentative again, let us estimate this
cost at $4,000. to make allowance for
those who may be supported by rela-
tfves and friends. or who may become
partially self-supporting. Since under
our present system the partially dis
abled are not reestablished. the total
number. minus small percentage.
must be supported at public expense
To do this costs approximately two
and one-half billion dollars. In other
words. We contract each year to meet
debt of two and a half billion dol
lars within the lifetime of the persons
thus injured.
Figures That staaqer.
These are staggering figures, but
they are only a forecast of what we
may expect II this wasteful destruc-
ton of life and limb continues.
In New York state. according to the
estimate of the state labor commits
sioner in 1906. "A workers in every
j. 900 are incapacitated in the course
of the years work. That means. for
Instance. that at least 4O. 900 purely in
city alone every year The ratio of
injured and uninjured is not as high
in some other parts of the country. or
the total number of accidents in the
United States would be over SOC. 900
| annually.
In one section OF New York city.
the Borough of Manhattan, there were
last year 2.160 deaths by violence: as
tonishing as it may seem nearly one
third OF these deaths. or 6S4. were
caused by falls. explosions. caving in
of earth. premature blasts and falling
rock. The river tunnels were con-
structed at the cost of 6S lives. 43 in
the Pennsylvania terminal works, 20
In the Belmont tunnel. two in the sub
way borings and three in the Hudson
| companies terminal.