The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-02-27
With Representatives Of Organ
lied Labor and Minnesota
Employers Association.
CAPITAL AND LABOR IN @
ACCORD FOR COMMISSION
To Investigate Subject of En-
ployers' Liability and Re-
port to Legislature.
Especial to Labor Worldly


public hearing which the labor COM
mittee Of the Minnesota house oH
representatives and the judiciary
committee of the state senate granted
to representatives of organized labor
and of the Minnesota Employers asso-
ciation was held last Friday afternoon
In the hall of the mouse Of repre-
sentatives, and proved to be as in
teresting and dramatic as the first
session of the hearing.
Letters of Approval Read.
Chairman Campbell of the house
labor committee again presided and.
as the first business of the hearing,
he had the clerk Of the COMMITTEES
read to those present letters from the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, the
Br1cklayers' union Of st. Paul, the
st. Paul Trades and Labor assembly.
the Union Card and Label Council OF
Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Cigar
makers union and the Dye Workers
and Helpers union Of the same city,
IN all of which the movement to have
a commission appointed to thoroughly
Investigate the subject of employers
~~0~AAsJ
thereon to the next legislature, was
approved and commended.
Prof. Gray's Searching Logic.
Mr.. Campbell then introduced Prof.
John H. Gray, head of the department
of economics In tae university Of
Minnesota, who began his address by
stating that he represented the people
of Minnesota and the general public.
and nobody else. He has given the
subject under consideration a. great
deal OF careful study, ar1dssaid he was
greatly and most favorably impressed
by the desire of the legislators to get
all the light they could on It, as ii
was a subject Of the highest import
ance; that capital and 1abor are not
the only, or even the chief, parties in
terested in the matter, for it concerns
very deeply the general public on
whom the burden Of cost for injuries
and care of those who suffer from
them now mainly rests. He stated
further that voluminous statistics on
the subject of Industrial injuries were
available only in Germany, and they
showed that more than so per cent
Of such injuries were due to the haz-:
ards of the industries and not to
carelessneNs on the part Of either the
employer or employe, and therefore
the subjct Of compensatory legislation
should be considered from that point
of view
An Antiquated System. .
Prof. Gray declared that the sys-
tenn under which we now operate in
trying to dispose of personal injury
cases was established before the age
Of machinery and while the injured
bore a personal relation to his en-,
ployer, but the conditions are differ.
ent now, and the laws should be modi-
fled to meet them. The vast intro
duction of machinery in industry had
eliminated the personal equation and
made each workman a part Of a great
machine, and that as such he was
entitled to at least as much consider
alton and care at the hands of his
employer as any other part of the
machinery Of the business. He added
that it was undeniable that under the
strenuous enterprisD and progressive.
ness Of our people industry was more
intense in this country than in any
other 81
/ Care Of tho Injured.
Taking high ground on the subject.
Prof. Gray asserted that the care OF
toilers injured in the line of indus
trial employment and provision for
those who were dependent on them
was public and not private func-.
ton, inasmuch as the whole public
Is involved In the results. He showed
that even with the utmost frugality
and prudence laboring men are unable
to save enough to take the risk. as
the wages were In most cases barely
sufficient to enable them to provide
for their families; also, that they
could nope for no relief from fellow
servants, for these, like themselves,
usually had no property under our
present system and nothing could be
recovered from them; that the burden
OF the evil rested even now on society
and not on the employers, although
theirs was grievous one, too. and
society ought to arrange it in a sens
ible, reasonable and equitable manner.
Capitals Side Stated.
Referring to the attitude Of the en-
ployers, the professor said that CAPT
tai had been severely criticized on
this subject and mad perhaps deserved
censure. But now that it had come
to Its senses, in Minnesota at least,
and admitted that present conditions
were untenable, It was not unreason-
able that that great agency Of pros
perity should be unwilling to agree
to any new system Of compensation
until It could have chance to count
thes cost the change would entail.
Continuing, he expressed his gratffi
cation over the very unusual exhibi-
tion Of harmony in this state. where
employers and employees had come to-
rontinued q Pase !. s