River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-10-29
Act Provides for Compensation to
Employees Injured in Govern
ment Service.
Receive Pay for One Year-Secretary
Of Department of Commerce and
Labor Administers Act-Families
to Be Taken Care OF.


employment" which came into effect
on August 1, is a measure of great i'm
portance in the domain of labor legis-
lation. Under previous laws, compen-
sation in case Of injury is paid to en-
ployes in the railway mail service and
in the life saving service The new
law applies to persons employed by the
government as artisans or laborerS In
the following services: Arsenals, navy
yards, river and harbor construction,
fertilization construction, hazardous en-
ployment in the reclamation service,
namely in construction and in control
and management of works, hazardous
employment under the ISthmian canal
commission, government manufacture
ing establishments.
Scope of Law Large.
According to a rough estimate made
by the department of commerce and la
Dor, about $4,000 government employees
come within the provisions of the law.
Compensation will be paid under this
act only for such injuries to an en-
ploye as occur in the course of his en-
ploymen. and cause inability to pursue
his employment for more than fifteen
days. Compensation is not paid if the
injury is due to the negligence or mis-
conduct of the employe himself. The
act applies only to injuries received on
or after August l.
The compensation consists of con-
tinuance during the period of disabil-
ity, but not over one year, of the same
pay which the employee was receiving
at the time of the injury. If the en-
ploye is killed by the accident or dies
from the results of the injury received
and leaves a widow or children under
| IS years of age or dependent parents,
the same amount of compensation is
| paid to these dependent relatives until
| the completion of the twelve months
| period.
Discretionary Power I'm One Man.
The administration of the act is in
| trusted to the secretary of commerce
| and labor. All questions of negligence
| or misconduct are to be determined by
| him, and in case of death from injury,
| the distribution Of the compensation
among the dependent relatives entitled
| to it must be made according to his or
ders. Cases of injuries to employees
| coming under this act must be reported
to the secretary of commerce and labor,
and compensation may be paid only
when approved by him.
No compensation will be paid either
for injury or for death unless the per-
sons entitled to such compensation
| make application for the same. This
application must be made by the in
| iured employee, or in case of his death
/ l.: re- ND LODI
| official superior of the injured employee,
| accompanied by physicians certit1-
cate, through the regular official chan
| nels to the secretary of commerce and
labor. The secretary is authorized by
| the act to demand such additional in
| formation, or order such investigation
as is necessar for the proper admin
| istration of the law.
| Regulations of Law.
| Regulations have been prepared by
| the secretary of commerce and labor
for the guidance of officials and en-
| ployes in the government service, and
| the necessary forms and blanks have
been prepared, printed and distributed
| among the government Offices through
| out the country, where persons are en-
|
of this act. According to these regu-
| lations, reports of injuries must be
made by the official superior of the
employee to the secretary of commerce
| and labor not later than the second
day after the accident. Application for
| compensation must be made as soon as
possible after the first fifteen days of
! disability If the application is ap-
proved the compensation will be paid
| during disability, but for a period not
| exceeding six months, at the end of
| which period, the injured person must
make application for re-examination
by a physician provided by the secre-
| tary of commerce and labor, and after
| this examination has been made and
| reported, a new approval by the Sec
| rotary for further payment of compen-
sation is necessary. This procedure is
| demanded by section 5 Of the act. The
only other condition required is pres
entation to the disbursing officer on
each pay day Of a physicians certifi-
cate as to the disability of the in
iured person, approved by the official
superior.
Furnish Accident Statistics.
| Applications of dependents for com
pensation in case of the death of an
employe from accidental injury must
be made within 90 days after such
death. The records of the application
| of this act will furnish valuable ma
terial for statistics of accidents, which
for this country are quite meager. In
| order to make the statistics more com
| plete and valuable, reports of all acci
dental injuries to government employees
regardless of the application of this act
have been requested from all govern
| ment establishments and offices. As the
| number Of United States government
employees exceeds 100000, these stats
tics will prove of great scientific value