The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-08-01
Changes in the Workman's
Compensation Act is
Proposed.
Find PRINCIPLE IS GOOD
Many Defects in Law are Discovered as
a Result of the Experience Of Ten
Months of Operation To Suggest to
the Legislature Soon.

| Amendments to the workmen S com
pensation law of 1911 are recommend
ed by the Wisconsin industrial commits
sion in it's first annual report.
! Compensation under the Wisconsin
law is based on loss of work. Of this
phase the report says:
Theoretically, this is the correct
| principle, but in, order to secure sim
pied administration, it may be well tc
adopt the New Jersey plan for certain
defnable injuries. For instance, the
New Jersey law provides as compensa
tion for the loss of great toe so pei
cent of the daily wage during thirty
weeks; for the loss of an eye so pei
cent of the daily wage for 100 weeks
and SO on through a complete list OF
defnable injuries. This provision
makes it easy for the employees and
employer definitely to ascertain the
compensation without reference to the
administering board. We suggest that
both employers and employees consider
this matter with the view of possible
amendment to our law.
In place Of the provision basing com.
pensation on loss Of wage in the EN-,
ployment in which the employee was
working, the commission speaks favor
ably of the substitution of the Califor.
MIA plan, which provides that the
amount shall I be computed upon the
wage which the injured employee would
probably be able to earn in view OF
the extent and nature of the injury
The commission also believes it would
be better if it had power to make
awards in gross where it may appear
that the best interest Of the employe
will be subserved thereby, If pay
ment were made in gross, it is argued
the employee often would return tc
work sooner and his efficiency would
be relatively higher.
Law Works Well.
The commission says the law is
working very satisfactorily. There
have been 435 elections in the year
with 63,72S employees affected The re
port notes that there has been little
evidence of fictitious. claims by work
ers under the act, that there is not as
much malingering as under the old liza
bility scheme, that the safety branch
Of the service is tending to lessen &C
ciden+s, and that where employers car
/ ny t cir own risk they are making 8
substantial saving over liability.
One reason that more employers
| have not accepted the Wisconsin act
as compared with states like New Jer
sey, is that in New Jersey the defense
of contributory negligence, unless viii
full, has been abolished, whereas in
| Wisconsin it still exists. The commits
sion in making this statement, how
ever, notes that the Wisconsin act was
one of the first elective acts to be
passed and was necessarily experiment
tai to some extent.
| The commission charges that the ole
! line companies which fixed rates fol
| compensation under the act are prac
ticing extensive determinations in the
application of rates and declares thai
the subject of liability insurance may
well receive the consideration of the
next legislature. Mutual insurance, as
practiced by newly organized Wis
consin company, is, ON the other hand
sufficiently high and the commits
sion says it does not understand why
employers have not seized the oppor
tunity to reduce the expense of in
surance.
AGI6nu 1ESI ka1U EOllCy,
The commission defends the liberal
first aid provision for medical and sur
gical attendance as being to the best
interests to all parties concerned.
1T is little less than criminal, =
says the report, "to limit medical and
surgical aid to two weeks, as is done
in some of the states, or limit it to
cases where the employe dies leaving
no dependents, a provision for the ben
eft of the doctors. Old line insurance
companies are universally against this
provision of the Wisconsin act, but the
provision is humane and in the inter
est Of the workmen as well as employ
lers; it was not made for the benefit
of insurance companies
| The commission says its experience
does not justify the belief that the
rate of compensation to loss of wages
So per cents SO high as to en-
courage malingering.
Nothing in the current literature OF
centrifugal schismatics is better adapt
al ~ ;Y4o~a-l liz curiarIr +l,o,, 4bo coo