Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-14
PROVISIONS OF THE BILL
Measure Backed by Judiciary Com
mittee Regarded With Favor.
ACCIDENT INSURANCE PLAN
Any One in Department Service En-
titled to Pay for Disability In
CURED on Duty.

Every one of the 10000 employees OF
Uncle sam who reside in the CITY Of
washington will doubtless take an in
| tercst In the big boost which the
judiciary committee of the House of
representatives is preparing to give
to the bill of Representative Paul
Rowland of Ohio. which provides for
an entirely new era in the federal gov
ernment's care for injured employees. AT
present the government takes care OF
certain employees who are injured when
following hazardous employments. hut
the Rowland bill is preparing to give
Uncle Sam generous paternal power
| "hlch ne has never been able to ex-
ercise before
In brief If this bill becomes law.
any employe. be he little twelve
year-old Senate page or a linotyper in
the government printing office, file
clerk in department or bureau
messenger. may ask the Treasury for
sum of money to pay for his injuries,
and the chances are he will get it. The
object of the bill is to make it easy
Tor employees who are injured in the
line of duty, no matter whose fault
it is
Inc bill wipes out all common law
objections to paying cOmpensations of
this sort, and negligence of the en-
ploye need not be considered. The only
stfpulations contained in the bill are
that the employe will not be paid
for any injury received while intoxi-
Gated or where the injury is the re-
suit of willfult attempt at self-injury
or an attempt to injure some one else.
Scope of the Bill.
While Representative Rowland was
discussing his bill with a Star report
er yesterday he was asked. what the
answer would be to those who might
bring up the question Of why negli-
gence in an employe would not be a
bar to compensation in case of in
jury Representative Howlands an
sWer was too long to reproduce in it's
entirety. but il involves an interesting
phase of social economy.
When machine in a factory breaks"
he said. 1.-The injured part is replaced
Immediately, and the cost of the repair
is figured in the cost of production. The
people at large pay for it and it is con-
sldered perfectly right for them to do So
But when an employe is injured at that
same machine the shop manager is likely
TO say. Well. 1t was your own fault We
can't do anything for you. The employe
may be injured permanently. and obliged
10 stop work. Ills family then becomes a
burden to the state. Why shouldn't the
shop pay him compensation. to be fig
ured in the cost of production?'
Representative HOwland's bill is a
product of very harmonious condition
in the House committee on the judiciary.
The author is a republican. The SUBJ
committee which held hearings on the
bill has for its chairman Representative
Cariin of Virginia, democrat. Although
the judicial questions which arise in this
committee place politics in the back
and Representative Carlin there is a
unanimity of opinion on this federal
compensation bill. and political differ
ences are obliterated. 1t was Represent
alive Carlin who ordered the bill re-
ported favorably to the full committee
and the full committee approved it prac-
tically with one mind. Some of the mem
bers of that committee say the bill is
sure to pass the House.