Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-25
Commission to Gather Data

zeal or attention in Europe for twenty
years or more and, as ! have said, it is
only recently that it has been agitated
70 any extent in the United States. At
the last session of Congress a joint reso-
luton was adopted and approved by the
president. June %, 1910, calling for an
odlclal investigation by a commission con-
sistins of two members of the Senate.
TWO members Of the House of Represent
atlVes and two persons to be selected by
the President to make thorough inves-
dgation Of employers liability and work
men compensation and to report
through the President not later than the
first Monday Of December 1911 An ap-
preparation of $1,000 was made to pay
the expenses. Nothing. so far as T can
learn. has been done to carry out this
plan, but the bureau of labor has done a
great deal in the way of inquiry both in
the United States and Europe. and will
be able to furnish the commission with
plenty of material for it's report.
There will be universal surprise among
people who have never given this matter
much thought at the extent to which the
European nations are insuring the units
of production in their population against
disabilities of all kinds, and the extent
to which private employers both indi-
viduals and corporations. in the United
States have undertaken the same duty.
1t is almost a universal rule among man.
ufacturers, miners. railway corporations
and other large employers of labor to in
sure their workmen against injury, and
to a certain extent against sickness. This
has been made necessary by the enact
ment of liability laws which require the
employer to indemnify his workmen
against injury an1 loss of time from ac-
cidents. 1t is customary 10 take out
blanket policies Of insurance from com
panies engaged in that business. covering
hQ
pay roll and providing for weekly COM
pensation for those who are injured in
the performance Of their tasks. This.
however, is an entirely private arrange
ment in the United States. while in Eu-
ropean countries such matters are looked
after by the governments.
The most extended system prevails in
Germany and in 1903. which is the last
year for which I have been able to ob-
tain statistics. 12.:H224 .094 persons were in
sured against illness and accident. and
were paid $50 800. 160 in the way of in
demnity for 1O2.s94.2OO working days for
which they lost their wages for the
reasons named. Within the last fifteen
years the number Of insured in Germany
has increased 81 per cent. the cash al
loWances have increased 100 per cent,
and the number of days of employment
lost for which indemnity has been col
lected has increased 100 per cent.
l have not been able to obtain the
statistics for Great Britain or France.
but last year SAG. 100000 was paid out of
the British treasury as old-age insur-
ance under an act of parliament passed
several years ago.
Conference at The Hague.
Last September an International con-
ference to consider tSis subject was held
at The Hague. and Was attended b.
Alpheus II. Snow of Washington. Charles
p. Neill, commissioner of labor. and
Miles NJ. Dawson. Hugh V. Mercer and
William ii. Tollman of New York, as
official delegates from the United States.
The conference was held under the pat
ronage of the Netherlands government,
the proceedings were opened by the min
lister of. agriculture, industry and COM
merce, and twenty-fOur countries were
represented by 40 members delegates.
All Of the European nations except SPAIN
Turkey and Bulgaria sent delegates Aus
tralia and Japan were also represented.
The subjects discussed We're of a ma
ture to interest only those countries
which have already adopted social insur-
ance as an institution and are meeting
with practical difficulties in working out
of the details Of their various systems.
The proceedings will be publ she'd in III |
in the French language for the benefit of
those who desire to study them. The
gathering of SO many experienced and
celebrated students of these subjects af-
forded the American deega es an op-
portunity to discuss with experts the
questions now arising in this country,
and to obtain much information which
may be useful hereafter. but the most
important act from our point of view
was the acceptance Of an invitation to
hold the next congress in the United
States.
Proposed Conference in Washington.
In his annual message to Congress
President Taft asked an appropriation
of $4,000 to pay the expenses of such
an assembly. He said:
I'm view of the keen widespread inter-
eat now felt in the United States III a
system OF co.npcnsa ton for Industrial ac-
cidentS to Supplant our present thor
oushiy unsatisfactory system of employ
crs' liability IA subject the importance