Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-09
CHARITY WORKERS
TAKE UP PROBLEMS
sRANDEls DISCUSSES INDUS
TRIAL WASTE AND NEED OF IN.
SURANcE FOR WAGE GARNER,
COST WOULD BE GREAT,
NEED IS MUCH GREATER
Woman Speaker Urges Conferences to
Teach Children Facts Of Procreation
and Sex Hysiene-System Would
Prevent Social and Moral Deara.
dation.

TTeVont social and Moral OeQra.
dation.
Boston. June e-Three section
meetings Of the thirty eighth annual
conference Of charities and corrections
were held here this forenoon. Sex hy-
glene' was the topic at the Ford Hall
meeting.
AT the same hour delegates interested
IN temperance and the care of inebri-
ates held continued meeting in the
Twentieth Century hall for further dis
cussion of the liquor question. A Sec
ton meeting continuing the subject of
housing and recreation at Lorimer hall
was held.
6randeis Tells Of Industrial Waste.
The huge waste of the present indus
trial system in America was heavily
scored by Mr.. Louis D. Brandeis of this
city in an address on "Workingmen's
Insurance-the Road to Social Effici-
ency," before the National Conference
of Charities and Correction here last
evening. Mr.. Brandeis said in part:
"Thruout the civilized world a
developing sense of social responsibility
has completed the community to sup
port in some manner its needy mem
bers, whatsoever the cause Of their in
ability to support themselves. In
granting this aid we are passing from
sporadic, emotional charity to organ
lied charity, and from mere relief to
preventive measures. We have to learn
that financial dependence among the
wage earners is due in large part to
sickness, accident invalidity, super
annuatton Or unemployment, or to the
premature death Of the bread winner
of the family. Contingencies like these,
referred to in individual cases as mis-
fortune, are now recognized as ordinary
incidents Of the lives Of the wage earn
ers, and must be met by a comprehen-
sive system Of workingmen's insurance.
American democracy rests upon the
basis of the free citizen. Politically an
American workingman Is free-so far
as laws can make him so-but is he
really free. can any man be really free
who is constantly in danger Of becom-
ing dependent for mere subsistence
upon somebody and something else
than his own exertion and conduct.
Men are not free while financially de-
pendent upon the will Of other individ-
uals. Financial dependence is consist
to support rests upon right and not
upon favor.
The cost attending freedom Is usu-
ally high and the cost Of providing to
the workingman. as essential to FREQ
dom, a comprehensive and adequate
system Of insurance will prove to be
no exception to this general rule. Few
intelligent property owners omit to in
sure against fire. Everybody recognizes
the fire insurance premium as cur
rent expense, and yet the chance Of
loss by fire is very slight as compared
with the chance Of loss to a man by
sickness, accident or premature edath
Every intelligent manufacturer makes
in some form a regular charge for
depreciation Of machinery and plant.
and yet the depreciation Of q man thru
invalidity and superannuation is no
less certain and frequently more severe
than the depreciation Of machinery
Every intelligent manufacturer recog-
nzes rent, interest and taxes as a
current daily charge which continues.
altho his plant is shut down or operat-
ing at less than full capacity; but the
cost to the employer Of carrying an
unused plant is not as great relative
ly as the cost to the employe Of carry
ing himself and family while unem-
ployed.
Cost Would Be Great.
What sum would be required an
nually to provide an adequate system
Of workingmen's insurance can not be
determined from existing data. The
cost would obviously vary greatly in
different occupations and different
communities. An amount equal to 10
per cent of current wages would go
far towards relieving in many indus
tries the distress now incident to sick
ness. accident, invalidity, premature
death, superannuation and unemploy-
ment Of the wage Garner. But 1t is GER
tain that the proceeds Of even SO large
a charge as 10 per cent Of the average.
daily wage would under present condi-
tions, afford mere alienation Of and
not indemnity for the losses now at
.tendant upon those contingencies in
the life Of the workingman. The cost
Of providing complete indemnity would
probably reach an amount equal to IS
per cent Of the average daily wage, for
the premiums requisite to securing in
demnity from losses incident to sick
ness, accident invalidity, premature
death or superannuation would prob
wage while the average percentage re-
quired to indemnify for unemployment
due to lack OF work would probably
reach about 10 per cent. This huge
and apparently prohibitive expense
should not, however, deter US from TAX
ing action now. 1t should. on the con-
trary incite us to immediate and vigor-
Gus measureI 1t would disclose how
vast the waste incident to present
social and industrial conditions is, and
when the extent Of that waste shall
have been determined and made clear
to our people. long step forward will
have been taken on the road TO Inn
provement and resulting social ecen-
omy"
Teach Children Laws Of Sex.
That children should early be taught
the facts OF procreation and sex hy-
giene was the burden Of an address by