The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1912-05-09
new LABOR BILL
A TAFT POLICY
Liability and Compensation
Measure Progressive.
JUSTICE IS IT'S OBJECT.
President Approves Proposed LegisIa-
tion Making Federal Labor Laws Fit
Modern Conditions--Lesal Machinery
Simplified.

tion Making Federal Labor Laws Fit
Modern Conditons-Lesal Machinery
Simplified.
AS the result Of the personal interest
of President Taft in all matters af
fecting the workingmen of the country,
congress has before it today COM
prehenslve bill on employers liability
and workmen's compensation which Is
recognized as one of the most progress
slve Of the many achievements of the
Taft administration. The bill was re-
ported by commission appointed by
President Taft pursuant to joint res
olution of congress passed on June %,
1910, and it was recently sent to con-
gress by the president, accompanied
with message recommending its pas
sage. AS drafted the measure pro-
vides an exclusive remedy and com
pensation for accidental injuries re-
sulting in disabilities or death to en-
ployees of common carriers engaged
in interstate or foreign commerce or
in the District of Columbia.
This comprehensive legislation is the
direct outcome of the general unsatis-
factoriness of labor legislation passed
by congress in recent years and is IL
Illustrative of the Taft method Of reach
ing 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 un-
der this administration, but it was gen
orally understood at the time that the
comprehensive measure now before
congress was to follow, both as to
liability and compensation, as soon as
the necessary investigation into the
subject could be made The result is
that the workingmen of the United
States, so far as they can be reached
by federal law, will soon be working
under one of the most enlightened la
Dor laws on record.
Provision is made in the bill, as draft
ed tentatively, that every common car
rier engaged in interstate or foreign
commerce shall pay compensations in
the amounts specified in the bill to any
Of its employees who sustains personal
injury by accident arising out Of and
in the course of his employment and
in his disability or to his de-
pendents in case of death.
1t is provided in the bill that the in
jured employee shall have medical at
tendance and surgical aid when nee
essary, the last mentioned being limit
ed to 5000. The monthly wages of an
employee are deemed to be twentysix
times the established days pay, and
$50 is the minimum monthly wage pay
ment 1t is also provided that all COM
pensation shall be paid monthly unless
to a lump sum.
Death benefits are provided for at a
specific percentage of the mans wages
to be paid to the widow with an in
crease in the amount when there are
dependent children, and in case of no
dependents the payment of the burial
expenses Is required. The. matter of
personal injury compensation is also
covered in fair and equitable pro
vision.
Another feature of the proposed act
is clear definition of the term de
pendent" as well as of what consti-
tutes an Injury" and an employee"
Legal complications are provided for
reports of accidents, payments and
operations under the law to the inter
state commerce commission are re-
quired, and it is declared that the pro-
posed act shall take effect on July l,
1912, and cited as "the federal com
pensation act of 1912"
In its investigations of this subject
the commission determined at the out
set that in substance the doctrines of
the common law originating under com
paratively simple conditions were un-
just as applied to the complex relations
of master and servant. The use of
complicated machinery, steam and cleo
tricity has had the effect of increasing
the deplorable antagonism between
employer and employee and often
giving a few injured employees large
and frequently extravagant damages,
while the great majority have been left
to bear the entire burden without any
recompense whatever.
At the time of the adoption of the
common law rules of liability indus
trial conditions were radically differ
ent from those of today. The number
Of employees was smaller because
there were few big industrial plants.
The business carried on was small in
extent, the appliances used in the
work consisted largely OF hand tools,
while the power was simple in char
acter, with little danger to the en-
ployee. Under such conditions the
rules Of common law originated.
Today there is vast difference.
President Taft, I'm the message which
Transmitted the report Of the commits
sion to congress, aptly says, in speak
ing Of the proposed bill, that it is one
Of the great steps Of progress toward
a satisfactory solution Of an important
phase Of the controversies between en-
ployers and employees that have been
proposed within the last two or three
decades. The old rules Of liability un-
der the common law were adapted to
different age and condition and were