The Detroit times., 1911-08-07

MADlSON, WIZ, aug, f.-Inere
used to be law on the statute books
OF Wisconsin which said something to
this effect: All gears, tumbllng rods.
belts, bull wheels, set screws, and all
other dangerous machinery shall be
securely guarded"
workman lost hand In using an
unguarded buZz-saw.
Presently he got a judgment for
damages under the above quoted law.
Then the supreme court OF Wiscon-
sin, casting an eye over the crude
work OF the lower court, reversed II
on the ground that "all other danger
Gus machinery" could mean only the
kinds OF machiney specifically enum-
Grated, hence buzz-saw could not
possibly be piece of dangerous ma
chinery" In the eyes Of the court.
Yet everybody knows that a buzz
saw is dangerous machine--in fact.
And realizing that a buzz-saw would
remain dangerous till the cows come
home, In spite Of the courts, some
Wisconsin men got together, kicked
all the old labor and safety laws down
the back stairs and set to work max
ing new ones. AS result Wisconsin
now has satisfactory workmens COM
pensation act, safety appliance law
that means what II says, and an ''in-
dustrial commission" so that the pro-
visions OF this legislation are carried
out
The law creating II gives the COM
mission absolute command OF the
whole field OF labor In its relation to
the employer.
Turn to section 8 OF the act" says
c II. Crownhart. chairman OF the new
commission. II says: Every employer
shall furnish employment that shall
be safe for the employees therein and
shall furnish n place OF employment
which shall be sLfe for employees there
In and for frequenters thereof and
shall furnish ard use safety devices
and safeguards, and shall adopt and
use methods and processes reasonably
adequate to render such employment
and place of employment safe, and
shall do other things reasonably nee
: essary to protect the life, health, safe
and welfare OF such employees and
-uentefs.,
Now turn back to the first section"
You turn back and find that section
! Is a dictionary II carefully defines
what certain words used In the law
mean as used in the law. No chance
for anybody to denaturize this law by
interpreting" IL.
Clause 10 reads: The terms wei
fare shall mean and include comfort,
decency and moral wellbeing."
Thus you see,' continues the COM
missioner, the law gives the commits
sion not merely power TO administer
the compensation act, to see TO the
installation of safety devices. to inves.
tigate labor conditions and order steps
for their betterment, TO hold hearings
and compel witnesses to testify as to
labor conditions, to administer the
child and woman labor laws. to estab-
: lish free employment agencies, and to
promote arbitration, BUT ALSO power
to guard the MORAL as we'll as the
PHYSICAL well-being Of the worker.
Welfare, as here defined. is broad
enough to enable use to deal with the
question as to whether or not condi-
lions are right for the moral well-being
Of the workers.
I'm the workmen's compensation act
We have q measure that safeguards
the employer as we'll as the worker
Based on loss OF wages, II divides that
loss so that the employe stands 35 per
cent and the employer So per cent.
and makes It possible for the work
man TO get, in reality, the money that
the-employer pays In compensation.
Under the old lews the workman got
but Al per cent of the money the en-
ployer paid out In damages. The courts
and the lawyers got the rest"
The present commission that Is to
see TO It that hereafter no court shall
have occasion TO classify buzz.saws as
safe and innocuous machines. consists
OF G. H. Crownhart, chairman, J. ID.
Beck, and Prof. John r. Commons.