The Washington herald., 1912-11-27
COMPENSATION
LAW IS FRAMED
Draft of Bill Expected for Approval
by Local Branch of National
Civic Federation.
Law TO DISTRIBUTE
LIABILITY TO ALL
Secretary of Organization Here Tells
of the Underlying Theory
! of Measure.

The officers Of the local branch of the
National Civic Federation, which is now
holding its national convention in New
York to frame a general workingmen's
compulsory compensation bill which II
hopes to have enacted into law in tie
United States. expect that the draft of
the proposed law will be in Washington
by January l for the-action of the local
body.
The meeting of the delegates in New
York will be ended either by the end OF
this week or the first of next. Their
findings will then have to be compiled
and printed, when they will be sent to
each of the councils OF the Federation,
of which there is one in each State. The
District has a council, which has the
same perogatives as a State council. 1t
is headed by Henry B. F. Macfarland.
The Stair councils viii work to have
the draft Of the Federation enacted into
law by their various State Legislatures,
and the federation will also send drafts
to each of the State Governors with the
request that he send it 20 the Legislature
of the State with his recommendation
for its passage
A year ago the federation had COM
pleted the draft of a bill, but at the
time 1t was prepared to call a general
meeting to ratify this bill, the New York
Court of Appeals handed down a deci-
sion concerning the compensation law
then in effect in New York holding that
the New York law was unconstitutional
and the federation felt 1t best to revise
its proposed legislation, as II closely re-
sembled tnat of New York State. This
is being done in New York City now.
EnSIand's Compulsory Law.
In discussing the law the federation
wishes to have enacted. F. L. Siddons,
secretary of the local branch, said last
night:
England has compulsory compensation
laws that cover almost every phase of
service. There even the employer OF do
mestic servants is responsible II they
are injured in any way in his service.
The Federation does not contemplate any
such far-reaching laws as this. 1t wishes
merely to make the employers Of men
who have to work in what are some
times known as extra hazardous" pur-
suits liable for the safety of the men.
THE underlying theory of the bill the
Federation is now working on is to so
distribute the liability that no one will
suffer by it. The cost will be equalized
and will be partially taken up in the cost
of the goods manufactured and in other
ways so that il will not be burden on
the manufacturer and will still give the
wOrkingman the protection he needs.
Heretofore, there has been no recovery
possible for the workingman hurt in the
performance of his duty, because of the
legal doctrine of the assumption of
risk which is that when a man en-
ters a position which lays him open to
injury he, in a measure, takes the re-
sponsibility of his safety on his own
shoulders.
"Of course. the injured workingman
has always had recourse to the courts
to collect damages, but in order to COL
leCt them he has to show that he was
hurt because of the negligence OF the
employer and that this negligence lay in
his providing defective machinery or
equipment.
What the Federation is trying to do
is to get legislation that will make the
employer responsible whep the injury is
caused by the dangerous nature of the
employment and not merely defective
working material