Imperial Valley press., 1912-11-09

on Monday than any other day of the
| average was 2O.4, Monday 24.1 is
the figure recorded in the twenty
| fourth report of the United States com
mission of labor, page sos.
In Germany (page 1850. same book,
the record for 1901 was in the follow
ing proportion: Monday, 122; Tues
day, log; Wednesday, 105.
Moreover, 42.4 per cent of accidents
to farm laborers are due to their own
treatment of animals, either driving.
riding or handling; and are usually
entirely consequent on their own lack
of judgment, or other inefficiency; and
ii seems scarcely just that not only
should farmer have his team ruined,
without any chance of redress, but
must maintain for life the reckless
drunkard who simultaneously disabled
himself. Possible justice rather de-
mands that the farmer should be pro-
tected from injury or damage caused
by the laborer.
Statistics in Denmark show a larger
proportion of injuries to working farm
ers and their congeners than to day
laborers and servants. The former
class sustained 2435 accidents per 100,-
600, resulting in permanent disability
to $50. The latter class 1894 per 1O0,-
900, with 212 permanently disabled. Ac-
cidents to these latter seem in France
to be SO notoriously due to drunken
ness and maltreatment of animals that
and debar those injured from these
causes from any claim to compensa
ton. page 765, same report)
If the farmer is to be liable for all
accidents without recourse, one of two
things, both of which are undesirable
must result. The farmer must work
with bankruptcy staring him in the
face, or the cost of food must be raised.
making living more expensive and diff
curtailing commerce, by making such
export staples as fruit and farm pro-
duce less in demand because of their
higher price. Such legislation would
tend to further increase unemployment
as farmers would naturally hesitate to
incur so hazardous a responsibility as
that involved. This. in turn, would
mean a diminished output of produce.
Moreover, the farmer is already the
frost, flood and drouth. Every addi-
tional peril to which he is subjected
makes his life more of a gamble, with
additional chances against him, and
though the multiplication of working
farmers seems every way desirable, it
is difficult for them, because of the
declination of insurance companies to
issue policies with very small premi-
ums, to insure themselves against ac-
The proposed changes tend to make
insurance compulsory, even at extor-
tionate rates; as it is said that small
insurance at moderate rates is impos-
sible," though possibly something in
the shape of the present railway acci-
dent insurance tickets might be made
effective under state control.
If insurance were not compulsory.
compensation from individual farmers
could rarely be collected, as the aver
age farmer would be made insolvent
by fatality to one laborer.
The working farmer is, for many
reasons, in different category from
the manufacturer; his help being few,
transitory, expensive and difficult to
obtain; while his products compete in
the open markets of the work against
those of lands where the conditions
are the very reverse. 1t is alleged to
boy on the farm.
I submit it is not for the best inter-
ests of the common veal that the far
mer should be put out of business, or
that the boy should, by unjust legisla-
tion, be driven from the farm
1t is impossible to remedy injustice
by perpetrating more injustice
EDWARD BERWICK.
Pacific Grove.