Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-10-24
EMPLOYERS
DISCUSS
LIABILITY
TWO BILLS ARE UP FOR ADOP-
TION by THE PEOPLE TO RE-
GULATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR
ACCIDENTS.
(From Employers Association of
Orgon.)

L ne employers dSSOCldllOu VI OlS-
gon calls attention from a purely
business stand point and not as a
partisan one, to the question of the
two liability bills which are to be
voted upon election day.
Bill number $50 is such drastic
measure that every employer would
be obliged to assume liability in
surance of probably 200 per cent.
This bill takes away all the legal de-
fenses that we have, and such a mea-
sure if passed would affect our entire
business interests of the state.
By vote on number 346 1t puts
the matter of proper employers Ii
ability act in a commission who can
study the subject and give us one
that will not damage our entire busi-
ness interests.
Probably there will be a federal act
passed in Washington or measure
which will have an influence or ten
dency to a universal adoption of q
measure, that will be just to all.
We should not be in haste to hand
leap our interests.
Some of the arguments against
same are given below:
1t requires that all owners or con-
tractors engaged in a building or re-
pairing contract "shall see that all
material or appliances whatever,
shall be carefully selected and in
spected and tested. The technical
carrying out of this provision is on
the face of it physical impossibility.
Neverthe less the law makes all own
ers and contractors legally respon-
sible for any accidents which might
result from such technical negli-
gence.
That the Fellow Servant law is not
effective. That means that irrespec-
tive of the cause of an accident, the
owner or contractor is legally respon-
sible, the element of the ignorance or
carelessness on the part of the party
injured or on the part of his fellow
workmen who may have caused the
accident, being no defense for the
employers, who in any and all cases
assume the full responsibility for
such accidents.
That the proposed law makes no
provision for proper distribution of
any damages which may be awarded
by legal process. The statistics have
shown that under our present laws,
which are acknowledged insufficient,
the injured or the relatives in case of
death, receive TN to 10 per cent of
the money awarded as damages
against the employer, the balance of
80 per cent or more being applied to
costs, commissions, fees to ambu-
lance chasing lawyers, etc.
Such a law will seriously handicap
the industrial growth of a new coun-
try where manufacturing enterprises
are rarely Of great financial strength
and therefore the results of one law
suit might bankrupt a business.
This association believes in liza
bility law where the injured or his
family in case of death, gets the full
amount of damages resulting from
an accident. These damages should
be in the form of a stipulated sum
fixed by law and known by all par
ties to a contract. Such sum to be
paid without recourse TO any legal
procedure. The formulation of such
a law will overcome the recognized
abuses of the present system and re-
suit in broad and equitable solution
of a serious problem.
voting YES for employers liability
bill number 346, you will provide II
commission of representative and
honest citizens who will thoroughly
Investigates the subject and provide
a suitable bill which will be just and
equitable to all, by the elimination
of corrupt practices, special privi-
leges and all uncertainties which
might arise from different interpre'
tations.