The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-08-03
Workmen,s Compensation.

The Legislature of 1910 passed an
employers liability bill, and while
that measure was not as comprehen
sive and as drastic as some mem
bers desired, it appeared that the con.
stitution needed to be amended 10
permit the passage of satisfactory
bill and marked a beginning in legis
lation of this character in Vermont
1t is certain that it will be easier
hereafter TO amend such a bill, the
constitution permitting. making il
stronger, than it would be to pass a
similar bill as new legislation.
On this subject the Republican
platform says I'VE favor the pas
sage of fair and equitable working
mems compensation law at the earl
lest moment that the state const:lu-
ton will permit Proposal nine Of
the constitutional amendm N1ts adopt
ed by the last legislature and recon-.
mended for adoption by the last Leg
islature and recommended by the Re-
publican platform for adoption by
the next Legislature as the law re-
quires before being submitted to pop
ular vote, is as follows: The Gen
eral Assembly may pass laws com
polling compensation for injuries re-
ceived by employees in the course of
their employment resulting in death
or bodily hurt for the benefit of such
employees, their widows, or next of
kin. 1t may designate the class o.
classes of employees and employers to
which such laws may apply" II
the Legislature of 1912 agrees to the
proposals of amendment they will be
submitted to the people in 1913 and
if approved by them the Legislature
next elected will have the power to
enact such a bill as the friends of la.
Dor desire.
Howard l.. Hindley, for many
years a well known Vermont news
paper man, now secretary of The In.
dustrial Insurance Commission of the
State of Washington, and he has re-
Gently sent to this office a review OF
the first eight months operation OF
the workmen's compensation act in
that state. Briefly summarized it is
as follows:
Firms listed and assessed .... 5000
Employees listed and pro
tected .. w 49,. 125,00C
Accidents reported .... 69S5
Claims allowed ........ 4,52t
In process of adjustment. ... 1,3ls
Disallowed, suspended and
waved .'.'.. ........ 49,. LII
Paid into accident fund. S640, 1851. 81
Paid out on claims ...... 216.435. q
Invested in interestbear-
ing reserves to guaran-
tie pensions. .... 149,79G.7J
Net balance in accident
fund ..... 274,71s.SG
Gross expense Of commits
sion. 49,. ........ 49,. 1888:
Total funds handled Dy
commission. ..... 1884 8.
Expense of doing bust
ness ...............,. IL per cent
Thereport says:
The gross result of the law from
October /. 1911, to June /. 1912. is
that S640,951.30 has been contributed
by the hazardous industries TO the
accident fund and 1886, 231.91 has
been paid out by the Commission to
injured men in cash and invested in
bonds to insure pensions TO work
mems widows and orphans.
The accident fund receipts have
grown from S42S,057.42 to 500. 951.
30; the bond reserve to guarantee
pensions from S62, to $149.796
40, and the claims paid from $57, 1929.
OS to S2l6.43521 February LIST show.
ed a net cash balance in the accident
fund of $30S,0l199 Notwithstanding
the constant drain on this fund this
cash balance still stand at 1914.
1893.
Notwithstanding the amount OF
money paid to injured workment in
compensation, the cost to employers
in many cases is less than casualty
insurance. In Glass 10, lumber mills
and loggers, for instance. employers
last year paid from S1.35 to $3.50 per
thousand for casualty inusrance pro.
lection. So far, it has cost them only
62 IL cents per thousand for eight
months and the fund shows a balance
of $l5,596.19 to cover claims pending.
Owing, however, to an unusual mum.
Der of fatal accidents and. to be on the
safe side. the Commission has order
ed call for contributions for two
lapsed months. The product of this
call will probably run the class for
the rest of the year, thus indicating
that the cost of insurance to Glass
10 employers will be between S1.05
and S125 per thousand.
"In Glass Al. printers and publish
ers. the preliminary call for three
months at $3.50 a thousand, has pro
duced a fund of S6,464.72, from
which S717.35 has been paid out for
enthusiastically of a minor charac-
yer. At this rate the fund, barring
an unusual succession of serious acct
dents, will last the printers for 3 or 6
years without further assessments
Employers, almost without excep-
ton, express themselves as satisfied
with the law. The law provides the
following scale of compensation.
IAN unmarried workman gets 500 a
month and s. is added in case Of \
wife and So for each child. up to S35