The Cairo bulletin., 1910-11-08
MANNED 1OILERS.
Two Millions Annually Injured In
Industry.
PROBLEM or COMPENSATION.
United States Behind All Other Civil
lixed Nations In Laws Fer Protection
Of Workmen--Lack Of Safety Devices
Largely Responsible.


John Mitchell. former president Of |
the mine workers. in recent address |
before the Liability Insurance associa-
ton said In part
Industrial accidents and compensa- |
ton for losses caused by them are
subjects in which the workingmen are
more directly interested than any 9TH
er group In society. Primarily the
workingmen are more concerned with
the means of preventing Industrial ac-
cidents than they are with the subject
Of compensation for losses caused by
them. 1t Is all very well for work
man to receive $1,000 for the loss of
an eye or the loss # leg. but it Is
much better for the workman, as it is
for society, that the eye or the leg be
not lost.
In the United States the number of
persons killed and injured is not even
counted, but William Hard credits the
American Institute Of Social Service
with the statement that 536, 165 work
men are killed or MANNED every year
In American industry, while DR.. Hoff-
man has estimated the annual number
of industrial accidents at approximate
! ly 100000. AS matter of fact, how
ever, the death roll of industry Is
| longer than Is evident from official
! figures 1t Is strange commentary
upon ourboasted American civilization
that In this country twice or three
times as many persons per thousand
employed are killed and injured in the
course of their employment as in any
other country In the world.
i When we observe the contrasts be-
tween the number killed and injured
In the industries of other nations with
i that Of our own we are led to the con-
clusion that If 1t cost more to kill
workman In American than to protect
him, as it does in Europe. the Ameri-
can workman would not be killedt-he
would be protected, and the number
of industrial accidents would be re-
duced at least one-half.
AS a further means Of reducing ac-
cidents our Ubiquitous and antiquated
liability laws should be supplanted by
! an automatic system of compensation
to workmen for losses caused by in
dustrial accidents.
The United States Is now the only
| industrial nation on earth that main
tains the old system Of liability based
q
the common law only slightly modi-
fed by statute.
AS rule, an injured workman has
no remedy at law If his injury were
caused by the act Of a fellow work
man or II he contributed in any de-
gree to his own injury. In many in
stances he has no remedy at law what
j ever, because it has been held by the
courts that the workman in accepting
4 employment assumes all the risk Of
, his work. The result of all this judge
made law has been that the workman
+ Is practically helpless, the employer is
under heavy expenses defending him.
!. self In the courts, and the courts OF
: the state and nation are burdened be-
yond their capacity with litigation that
? In every other nation Is eliminated be
7, cause Of the automatic settlement OF
: such claims.
4 1t may be interesting to consider the
f. expense and the useless waste Of mon
b ey which Is involved under our present
IS liability system. Mr.. Hard states In
IS his booklet that in the eleven years
n 1S94-1905 the employers liability com
+. panies Of America took in $99,950,0I5 In
!. premiums from American employers
and that these companies paid out In
the settlement of claims of injured
= workmen S43,599,4 9S, or 43 per cent Of
the amount they took in. OF the S43,
500, 49S paid In the settlement Of
n claims of injured workmen l believe /
\ is safe to say that 80 per cent was ex
y pended by the injured workmen In thu
payment Of attorneys fees and cour
expenses, so that In the final analysis
C the injured workmen received les
than $30,o00,000 out of the 500 000,o0'
I'd paid by employers during this perio'
n In premiums to liability companies
~ In other words. S7o,00Oo00 was vast
/, ed-worse than wasted--because th
I, money was used In burdening on
:, courts with litigation and in delayin
- or defeating the settlement Of claims
r many. Of them just claims, when
shoulA have been used and would b
ST used uifier wise system for the In
&c mediate relief of the men and thei
II families who are the victims OF th
ot hazard of Industrial pursuits.
IS: am not prepared to say that eve
- though the entire S100,000,000 ha
50 been paid directly to the injured worl
mn men it would have been sufficient
H. have unidentified them for their los
es, but do believe that 1t would nj
= have required very much more to haE
compensated them on the basis Of II
ne British workmen's compensation &C
rs believe that industry should bear Il
nd burden of the pecuniary loss sustaine
i.c by workmen as a result of industri
mt accidents just as 1t Is now required
nd repair its machinery and to offset Il
ne loss caused BY depreciation In the vn
m ne of its plants. The workmen ar
~ those dependent upon them are az
q will be under any system required
- bear all the physical pain and ment
We suffering. For this they cannot be