Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1912-05-02
new LABOR BILL
a A TAFT POLICY
Liability and Compensation
Measure Progressive.
JUSTICE is ITS OBJECT
President Approves Proposed Legisla
ton Making Federal Labor Laws
Pit Modern Condtions-Legal
Machinery Simp lified.

t08I OIL ITGSlu6llJ L dlI III GA hh"SsN&S 49,
fsctfng the workingmen Of the coun'
try, congress has before it today a
comprehensive bill on employers la
bility and workmens compensation
which is recognized as one OF the most
progressive of the many achievements
of the Taft administration. The bill
was reported by a commission ap'
pointed by President Taft pursuant to
a Joint resolution Of congress passed
on June rs, 1910, and it was recently
sent to congress by the president &C.
companied with message recon-
mending its passage. AS drafted the
measure provides an exclusive rem
edy and compensation for accidental
injuries resulting in disabilities or
death to employees OF common car
riers engaged in interstate or foreign |
commerce or in the District of Column
bia.
This comprehensive legislation Is
| the direct outcome Of the general I'M
satisfactoriness of labor legislation
passed by congress in recent years
| and is illustrative of the TAFT method
OF reaching an admitted evil by
painstaking investigation followed by
carefully considered laws. AS is well
known. the first employers liability
law passed in the last administration
was declared unconstitutional by the
| courts. A new law to take its place
was passed under this ADMINISTRATION,
but it was generally understood at
the time that the comprehensive meas
IN fol-
low. both as to liability and compensa-
ton, as soon as the necessary inves-
tigation into the subject could be
made The result is that the work
ingmen of the United States, so far as
, they can be reached by federal law.
will soon be working under one OF
the most enlightened labor laws on
record .'aa tft
Provision is made In the bill, as
drafted tentatively, that every COM
mon carrier, engaged in interstate or
9 foreign commerce, shall pay compen-
sations in the amounts specified in
the bill to any of it's employees who
sustains personal injury by accident
= arising out of and in the course Of
his employment, and resulting in his
v disability, OF to his dependents in
g case Of death.
d 1t is provided in the bill that the
: injured employee shall have medical
attendance, and surgical aid, when
E necessary the last mentioned being
!, limited to 5000. The monthly wages
. of an employee is deemed to be 26
d times the established days pay, and
# $50. is the minimum monthly wage
# payment 1t IS also provided that all
1t compensation under the act shall be
/ paid monthly, unless computed to a
+ lump sum.
= Death benefits are provided for at a
specific percentage of the mans wages
Is to be paid to the widow, with an in
e crease in the amount when there are
a. dependent children and in case OF nc
d dependents the payment of the buria
p expenses is required. The matter Of
IN personal injury compensation is also
- covered In fair and equitable provi
40 sion of compensation for the injured
employee. ....
Another feature Of the proposed ac
is clear definition of the term de
pendent" as we'll as Of what consti
tutes an injury" and an employee
Legal con plications are provided for
reports OF accidents, payments ant
20 operations under the law to the in
m terstate commerce commission, are re
d. quired and it is declared that the pre-
posed act shall take effect on July
We 1912 and lied as The Federal Com
he pensation .Act OF 1912"
in In Its Investigations OF this subjec
OF the commission determined at the ou
,Oe set that IN substance the doctrines c
~ the common law originating unde
an I comparatively simple conditions wer
.es unjust as applied to the complex r,
er lations OF master and servant. Tn
he use OF complicated machinery, steal
ct, and electricity has had the effect {
Ter increasing the deplorable entagonisl
ms between en- ployer and employee an
'es often giving a few injured employee
80 largo and frequently extravagant dan
'on ages, while the great majority hay
re- been left to bear the entire burde
,he without any recompense whatever.
&C. At the time of the adoption of I'll
min common law rules of liability indu
ice trial conditions were radically diffe
tyss ent from those Of today. The numb,
,.H OF employees was smaller becau.
er there wero few big Industrial plant
me The business carried on was small
our extent, tho appliances. used In Il
red work consisted largely of hand tool
&c while. the power was simple in cha
aeIer with little danger to the e.