The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-01-25

The German legislation secured this by the creation of solvent insurance fund to which employer and employe contributed and subject to State sup ervision, self administered. It elinin- ated personal liability and turned the eye of the workman seeking compen- sation to the insurance fund and not the employer and inseparably associ- ated relief from the consequences of accident with the elimination or dim- mutton of its causes, and gave to each workman a right of compensation in return for contribution made by him. The English legislation, on the other hand, insured compensation by making each employer limited ln- surer and personally liable to his workmen for injuries received in the course of employment. No contribu- tion was required from the employe, no attempt was made to secure his cooperation in the prevention of ac- cidents, nor was any effort made to prevent trivial accidents from develop ing into serious disability by guard ing against ignorance and neglect in the treatment of hurts and providing medical attendance for them. Com pensation of the employe is made to depend upon the solvency of the in dividual employer, with the result that the small employer either approached the border line of insolvency or was recognized as incapable of affording compensation to his injured employees.
 The speaker concluded that the Eng fish system was unmethodical, unsys- tematic and unscientific. It was neither based upon ascertaned facts nor made any reasonable effort to gather information within the field of its own activity. It failed to require a single liability and by the nature of the burden which it laid, discour- aged and denied employment to elder ly and defective men. It created a heavy pecuniary obligation, left 1t uncertain in its terms, indefinite, in determinate and incapable of being reduced to fixed change. MT. Emery declared that neither in it's principles nor n the nature and extent of it's liabilities, nor in it's method of inves- tigation, nor in it's neglect to acquire and renew information essential to the successful administration of inn portant legislation, was the English Act worthy of imitation. It was useful as an illustration of what to avoid, as German legislation was full of sug- gestion as to what to do.
 Address by Fred c. Schwedtman)
 Twelve State Commissions, one Federal Commission and a number of organizations are at the present time actively engaged in reviewing our system of providing for the victims of occupational accident and their de- pendentS.
 Two States, New York and Ohio, have enacted new laws in the last year. A number of States are expect ed to propose new legislation in the present year. and within the next ten years probably every State in the Union will consider new legislation.
 Employers liability laws have per- haps been the most fruitful source of worry, dissatisfaction and friction to the employers and wage workers of the United States.
 It is freely admitted that looking at the subject from the humane, econo- mic and legal viewpoint, our present system can and ought to be changed.
 Impressed with the continually in creasing importance of this subject, its appeal to justice and humanity, IS we'll as to common sense and it's re- lations to National Fife ency, the Ma tional Association of Manufacturers, under the leadership of MT. John Kir- by, Jr., it's President appointed a spe- cial committee to investigate the whole questions from the viewpoint of the progressive employer. I have the honor of serving as chairman of this committee.
 coo employees of the United States, report was placed before the annual meeting of the National Association of Manufacturers and resolutions adopted, of which the following is a part:
 system of determining Employers Liability is unsatisfactory, wasteful, slow in operation and antagenistic to harmonious relations between employ CTS and wage workers; that an equit- able, mutually contributory} indemnity system automatically providing relief for victims of industrial accidents and their dependents, is required to reduce waste, litigation and friction. and to meet the demands of an enlightened nation.
 "Be it further Resolved, That the pre- vention of accidents is one of even greater importance than equitable compensation to injured workers"
 This resolution conveys the attitude of ninety nine out of one hundred em- ployers and the remaining one-ultra conservative employer will find it good policy to work constructively with us, bearing in mind that unless this prob- lem is settled in a common sense, equitable and economic manner. the demogogue, the agitator and the So- cialist will settle it for us with vengeance.
 To continue the investigation under taken MT. James A. Emery and my self as commissioners from the As sociation, visited Europe last summer for the purpose of observing the Op- eration of the prevailing systems for the compensation and prevention of accidents We visited England, Ger many, France Austria, Hungary, Bel gium, Holland, Switzerland and Italy. We have made special investigation of the accident prevention institutions which are located in Amsterdam. Par is, Brussels, Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Buda-Pesth Zurich and Milan.
 MT. Schwedtman went on to tell how every source of official informa- tior. much of it never published yet, was placed at the command of the commission.
 This informal tion, which is a neces- sary prerequisite for an intelligent and successful dealing with the problems, with a large number of specially pre- pared illustrative charts will appear in a volume soon, to be issued by the National Association of Manufactur- CTS. This volume will be the last and fullest word on the entire subject and will contain vast fund of informa- tion. invaluable for the lawmaker, the manufa cturer and the worker.
 MT. Schwedtman devoted himself to discuss ng the German methods of in- dustrial compensation. He said: "Pract,ca all accident insurance in Germany is of the mutual kind. Ac- cident insurance institutions are Elm ployers' Associations, organized ac- cord ng to trades or crafts, for the purpose of carrying mutually and col lective1y their workers accident com