The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-08-31

motives Of such appeals. IN the sick
ness insurance societies. representa-
ton is given both to the wor1ingmen
and to employers in the adininistra-
ton Of these societies. In the mutua!
accident insurance societies, on tho
other hand, since these are made up
entirely Of employers. the arbitration
boards have on them representation Of
employers only and the workmen
have no, voice. This has been a
! standing grievance on the part Of
Workmen and many OF. the appeals
winch are made from decisions Of the
arbitration boards are based on the
belief that full justice has not been
done to the workman by reason of
the fact that he had no representa-
ton ON the arbitration board at the
time his case was considered. Wheth-
er this view of the workman is cor
rect or not is no the question It is
cited here to indicate one of the
reasons for the large number of an
peals. 1t is hoped that the amended
law will very materially correct this
difficulty =. = '@>
DIR. Friedensburg contends that as
result of the cost Of insurance.
German industry is put at disad-
vantage and is hampered to.ethe cx-
tremesin its competition with foreign
ers," and that this system of compen-
sation is held responsible for the
marked rise in prices which is felt
| to be oppressive by all classes of The
German, population: "+f
DR.. Friedensburg cites no stats
tics in confirmation Of these state
ments. From the study which the
writer made three years. ago, he is
inclined to differ radically with DR..
fr1edensburg in his conclusions. At
the International congress on Social
Insurance held in Rome in 1908. the
German system was extolled not only
by representatives from Germany, but
oy delegates from practically every
other country in Europe . The writer
we'll recalls the pitiful spectacle pre-
sented by one German manufa; er
who claimed that the cost of insur
ance was burdening industry excess
slvely and preventing competition.
Ills remarks met with nothing but
1eers and derisions on the part of lais
German colleagues. It was exceed-
1ng1y significant that at this congress-.
representatives from Italy and France,
countries which had heretofore been
doughty champions Of the so-called
voluntary system Of insurance. should
have expressed their final conversion
to the compulsory plan as developed
In the German empire.
concerned it would have been ex-
pected that they are unit in be-
l1ev1ng the German plan to be an
exceptionally good one. Interviews
with German manufacturers and par
t1cularly with the representatives. Of
the large mutual trade insurance sd.
c1et1es lead to the. belief that manu-
1acturers as we'll, are today in accord
as to the desirability of the insurance
plan and the necessity for it's con.
tlnuance. So far as the workman is
concerned there cam be no doubt as
to his attitude. At the time the or
1slnal law was introduced by Bis
marck, 1t met the opposition of the
social Democrats. Today men like
s1monofski in Berlin, and .Fruhsdorf
In Dresden, pillars of.the Social De-
mocracy, are the staunchest adyo-
Gates of the present: system. @~>s.... -
= FINALLY, and this is the point thar
snould be remembered, the German
system of accident compensation is
MT state insurance. In fact, of all
the continental system, it is farthest
removed from state insurance. All
That the. government has done is to
pass a law requiring employers to
organize themselves into mutual trade
associations and TO compensate their
employees against accidents. The funds
to carry on this scheme of insurance
are paid by the employer with the
exception Of the first IS weeks after
accident, which are paid by the sick
ness society, toward which the work.
man contributes. The mutual insur-
ance associations are conducted by The
employers. the funds remaining in
tnelr possession and the states &C.
tlV1tles are limited to supervision of
the work of these trade associations
IN a manner similar to that in which
insurance companies in the United
states are supervised by insurance
departments. <..4r.,. ~
1T has been possible here to brfnx
out only the NOSE salient !: features
OF the German plan. + AS stated above,
there are weaknesses, but these are
not SO much in the system as in the
method Of administration and in the
limitations on the part Of any import-
ant element in Germany. to abroeate
the present system; in fact, its furti1-
er extension Is looked forward to-:
INJURED CARPENTER IS Nv
NOW ABLE TO BE AROUND
. Andrew Thompson of the Carpen-
ters' union, who fell from a scaffold