The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-24

| Wisconsin into employers liability
and accident insurance In Europe and
the United States has resulted in data
and conclusions, just announced by
Commissioner j. ID. Beck. considered
of the greatest Importance here,
where the Industrial Club and other
bodies have undertake to solve the
great problem of liability of em-
ployers and relief of injured en-
ployes.a The inquiry disclosed condi-
tions abroad wholly different from
4 those in the United states, fors In
! most countries there, including Gero
many, Belgium, Italy, Norway, RUS
! sia and France the burden OF com
4 pensation for injuries rests wholly,
j upon n'aemployers, although in Ger-,'
\ many the workman must contribute
| to an old age and sick insurance
fund. In the United States the
workman generally must rely upon
his savings or personal insurance.
Among the most important conclu-
sions reached by this inquiry are the
| following: s'The existing method
of settling the claims arising
out of accidents to workingmen while
at work can be greatly improved. In
some manner we should introduce the
idea of insurance, which practically
disregards the idea of negligence"
Again: "To the worKman, a study
of individual cases shows that the
instances of positive financial dis
tress resulting from accidents are
numerous and seldom are the dam
ages to carry accident insurance, '',s,
Also: '.There has been a remark
able development in the business of
insuring employers against claims re-
shifting from accidents. Collective
workmen's insurance has made little
| progress. !" During recent 3yearsnthe.
forms and volume of various. kinds
of accident and employers liability
insurance have had. enormous growth
but this report goes to show that IT
is in its infancy yet, although ac-
cording to the recent speech by Rob-
ert b. Armstrong, formerly Assist
ant Secretary of the Treasury, and
now pesident of a s2,OOOO0O Chicago
company. the annual premiums re-
ceived by the casualty companies
amounts to nearly $7OOO0,O0O OF
which about half has been secured in
the West and sent to the East.
Active railroad competition as a
remedy for some OF our more press
ing transportation poDems has found
a new exponent i'm the, offices of the
Canadian railroads who do not agree
holding compaties = are an unmixed
1t appears, with, the Harrimans and
the Hills that pooling of traffic and
blessing Arthur Hawkes., lAof the
Canadian Northern line, who has just
been in Chicago, Is, the latest visitor
to this country to poipt out the dang
ers of consolidation In Canada the
situation is very different, he declared
for there every road eompetes ac-
lively with every other road In the
same territory and railroad building
to provide for increasing traffic Is
being carried on at a rate that far
exceeds that here. As an example
of this activity he cited the Brandon
Regina short line, OF the Canadian
Northern, which was opened barely
three weeks ago and which has pro-
vided still another route between
Winnipeg and Regina. in competition
with the Canadian Paclic railway.
This meets the demands Of the late
fall freight traffic and will furnish
the facilities for a fast service from
Winnipeg to the Saskatchewan cap
| ital. In this country the tendency
has been the other way and railroad
building has fallen far behind the
needs as compared with Canada
which now has more railroad mileage
per capita than any other country on
the glcbei 2 The CanadianA Northern
railroad has the even more unique
record OF having extended its lines
mile day for eleven years. Whether
the United States will heed this latest
warning from its neighbor to )the
north cannot, of course, be told but
railway men here have stated their
opinion that more active steps will
have to be taken in the near future
If we expect to keep pace with the
big Dominion lines.
Work is TO begin soon on Cook
County's model Poor House, to cost
$15OO,OOO, and TO comprise not one
poor house, but 2S buildings of mod
ern fireprooi construction, at Oak
Forest, Illinois, few miles south of
Chicago. A bird's-eye view of the
place when completed will show a
huge cross, covering many acres OF
ground, the chapel holding the en-
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