Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-01-27

sought along the line Of workman's
compensation for all industrial acct
dents at the expense Of the employ
er-the British system-or of compul-
sorry accident insurance-the German
system. The former seems to accord
better with American ideas and ira
ditions.
2. "The principle Of workmen's
compensation may be extended to
include indemnity for loss Of wages
due to trade diseases. Provisions
against illness not directly traceable
to the employment must be sought
either in compulsory illness insurance
or in subsidized and state-directed
sick insurance clubs. Trade unions
may assume the functions Of such
rluha In organised trades. The latter
plan seems better suited to present
American conditions than compulsory
illness insurance"
The discussion Of this program
brought out the following facts, all
of which are recognized by students
of economies:
That the principal causes of power.
ty were the evils above enumerated,
and that in spite of the desirability
Of educating the wage earners to pro-
vide themselves against these con-
tingencies by the exercise of thrift
and fore-thought and through the &C
emulation of savings deposits or in
surance, habits Of. saving developed
slowly and among the vast majority
of laborers their income hardly per-
mits of any accumulation of funds be-
yond their present needs. When,
due to any Of the above contingen-
cies, the steady flow of wages is in
terrupted, then, in a few weeks, the
wage earners are reduced to poverty.
Furthermore, it was agreed that sine
in practice individual thrift and fore
thought did not suffice, these evils
should be provided against by col
lective action. 1t was further shown
borne out by age statistics that
wages in different employments were
not adjusted so that those who work
in dangerous trades are compensated
by higher pay for the risks they run.
The average workman minimizes the
risk involved, is ignorant of it, takes
his chances, or considers himself the
exception to the rule and relies on
his personal luck.
1t was further shown that the law
of Employers Liability now in force,
in the United States, was but a par
tial remedy. 1t becomes necessary,
under the law, to prove some negli-
gence on the part of the employer to
have been the cause of the accident,
and statistics indicated that this is
possible in only about one-fourth of
the cases. Even if the one-fourth of
accident cases where the employer
was liable for damages, fully half of
the compensation was wasted in al
torney's fees. Chance thus often de-
termined the compensation which the
law allowed. The result was salts
factory neither to employers or en-
ployees.
THAT a better system was entire
ly practicable" the program goes on
to say, lis proved by the experience
of nearly all of the important coun-
tries of Europe. In Germany, insur,
ance funds are required to be collect.
ed at the expense Of employers, out
of which the victims of all industrial
accidents are compensated. Even
more instructive for us is the British
system of wOrkmen's compensation
extended and perfected by legislation
enacted by a recent Pertinent. Under
the English law the cause of the acct
dent, unless it be the serious and
wilful misconduct of the workman
himself, is not considered. All EN-.
ployers are required to compensate
their workmen for the losses they
suffer in consequence of industrial
accidents, in accordance with a fix
ed scale. Thus, injuries to the work
ers are included among the expenses
of production, like injuries to the
dead plant. Employers pay prem
iums to accident insurance companies
to protect their employees in the
same way that they pay premiums t.
fir insurance companies to protec
their buildings.
"rTndsr both svstsmI amplOvs-a ARK
compelled to provide compensation
for their workmen, whether the
wish to or not, and they cannot con
tract out of their liability, even 1
the workmen assent to such an ar
rangement. When workers are injur
ed they continue to receive incomes
on which they can live and preserve
their self-respect. instead of beint
thrown on the community with tn,
humiliation and loss of ambition AM
efficiency which this SO often entails
Thus, they more quickly return Il
the industrial ranks, or If the injur,
involves. permanent disability be
come the pensioners of the industrial
army, honorably retired from ser
vice which they can no longer con
tinue.
THAT these systems, copied widel,
by the other states of Europe, serv,
largely to eliminate the poverty du