Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1912-04-25
new LABOR BILL
A TAFT POLICY
Liability and Compensation
Measure Progressive.
JUSTICE IS ITS OBJECT.
President Approves Proposed Leeisla.
tion Making Federal Labor Laws Fit
Modern conditions-legal Machinery
Simplified.


Simplified.
As the result of the personal interes
of President Taft In all matters al
fecting the workingmen of the country
congress has before II today a CON
p~rehensive bill on employers liabilit.
and workmen's compensation which !
recognized as one Of the most progress
sive of the many achievements of tn
Taft administration. The bill was re
ported by a commission appointed b..
President Taft pursuant to a joint res
olution OF congress passed on June 81
1910. and il was recently sent to con
gress by the president. accompanies
with a message recommending its pas
sage. As drafted the measure pro
vides an exclusive remedy and com
p%ensation for accidental injuries re
sulting In disabilities or death to EN-
ployees of common carriers engaged
In interstate or foreign commerce OF
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 a 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 It's 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
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
rler 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
resulting 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 nec-
essary. the last mentioned being limit
ed to $500. The monthly wages of an
employee are deemed to be twenty-six
times the established days pay, and
$50 Is the minimum monthly wage pay
ment. 1t is also provided that all CON-
p%ensation shall be paid monthly unless
computed 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 a fair and equitable pro-
vision.
Another feature Of the proposed act
Is a 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-
qulred. and 1t Is declared that the pro-
posed act shall take effect on July /,
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 IN
Just as applied to the complex relations
of master and servant. The use Of
complicated machinery. steamsand 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