The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-11-18

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. Ii is a strange commentary
upon our boosted 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.
When we observe the contrasts be-
tween the number killed and injured
In the industries of other nations with
that Of our own we are led to the con.
clusion that II It cost more TO Kill a
workman in American than to protect
him, as it does in Europe, the Ameri
can workman would not be kiled-he
would be protected. and the number
Of industrial accidents would be re-
duced at least one-half
AS a further means of reducing &C.
cidents our Ubiquitous and Anticipated
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
upon negligence. We still live under
the common law only slightly modi-
fed by statute.
/ AS a rule, an injured workman has
no remedy at law If his injury We're
caused by the act Of 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
ever. because it has been held by the
courts that the workman in accepting
employment assumes all the risk of
bis 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-
cause Of the automatic settlement of
such claims.
Ii may be interesting to consider the
expense and the useless waste of mon
ey which is involved under our present
liability system. Mr.. Hard states in
his booklet that In the eleven years
lS94-l905 the employers liability com
panies Of America took in 800 .959, 075 in
premiums from American employers
and that these companies paid out in
the settlement Of claims Of injured
workmen S43.599, 49S, or 43 per cent of
the amount they took in. OF the SAB
$50, 4oS paid In the settlement Of
claims OF injured workmen believe It
Is safe to say that 35 per cent was ex-
pended by the injured workmen in the
payment Of attorneys fees and court
expenses. so that In the final analysis
the injured workmen received less
than S30,OOO0OO out Of the S1OO. 900. 900
paid by employers during this period
In premiums to liability companies.
In other words, sT0,OOO.OOO was vast
ed-worse than wasted-because the
money was used In burdening our
courts with litigation and in delaying
or defeating the settlement of claims,
many Of them just claims. when II
should have been used and would be
r used under a wise system for the i'm
mediate relief Of the men and their
families who are the victims Of the
hazard Of Industrial pursuits.
I am not prepared to say that even
though the entire S100.000.00O had
been paid directly to the injured work
men It would have been sufficient to
have Unidentified them for their loss
, IS but | do believe that 1t would not
have required very much more to have
compensated them on the basis of the
British workmens compensation act
| believe that industry should bear the
burden of the pecuniary loss sustained
by workmen as a result of industrial
accidents. just as Ii Is now required tC
repair its machinery and TO Offset the
loss caused by depreciation In the val
ne II it's plants. The workmen and
those dependent upon them are and
will be under any system required tC
bear all the physical pain and menta
suffering. For this they ca mot be re
imhursed. but they should be relieved
Of the narrowing fear Of hunger and
want They should be guaranteed
against the humiliation and degrade
ton OF becoming objects Of charity
James F McHugh, recently re-elect
ed general secretary treasurer OF tn,
International Journeymen Stonecut
tiers association. was first elected Il
his present Office In 1889 and has beel
reelected each year.
The Bookkeepers. Stenographers anC
Accountants union Of New York hal
ele ted Miss Alice Morris. private sec
retarv 10 John Mitchell Of the AmerI
can Federation Of Labor and the Ma
tional Civic federation. delegate from
the union 10 the convention Of tn
American Federation Of Labor