The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-03-23
INSURANCE BY STATE
OFFERS ONLY RELIEF
Don D. Lcscohier, Statistician for
Bureau of Labor, Discusses
Employers Liability.

II can see no proper solution to
employers liability except through
the medium of state insurances No
scheme for the compensation of in
jured workingmen, that will justly
and adequately provide for the care
of widows, orphans and cripples, can
be had except by eliminating all of
the waste that now obtains.
IF personal injury attorneys are
to be gotten rid of private insurance
companies should go with them. In
surance by the state offers the only
method by which this can be DONE"
With these words Don D. Lesco-
hier, special .statistician Of the State
Bureau of Labor, launched into a
discussion Of the great problem of
compensation for industrial accidents.
His address was delivered before
members Of the friendly visitors
conference at st. Paul.
I'VE talk of Workmen's Compen-
sation, but there is no compensation
for lives lost and husbands and faith
ers manned and mangled. A man
falls off a derrick or is buried under
a gravel pit and his wife receives
$3.50 for a good Christian husband
and a good father. This Is no COM
pensation. What We need is preven-
ton, not compensation. We must
arouse citizens, employers and work.
men to the need of preventive meas
ures. From 60 to 30 per cent of all
industrial accidents are unnecessary.
Every year $500 persons die from
accidents and most of them are in
dustrial accidents. Many times more
are injured annually. If $4,000 people
are killed in this country each year,
$4,000 wives are made widows and
children made fatherless unneces-
sarily.
I'VE must devise mechanical safe
guards for the elimination of this
terrible death toll. Immunity is bet
ter than compensation. Wives care
more for their husbands than for the
mere pittance received for his death.
One in Ten Gets Damages.
According to the present Mime
sofa law, injured men cannot claim
any compensation unless they prove
that the accident was the fault Of the
employer. Only ten out of every hum
dred men injured legally can claim
compensation. Last year $50 men
were killed in Industrial accidents in
Minnesota"
Mr.. Lascohier advocated a law to
be passed by the next legislature pro-
viding for compensation on the basis
now employed in Washington, that of
state insurance. Each industry is
classified according to it's degree of
hazard and employers are taxed ac-
cording to the risk involved in their
work, at so much per 500 of the pay
roll. They pay this tax to the state,
which settles for accidents. This
does away with the expense of MAIN
tenance of private liability insurance
companies, and every cent paid by
employers to the state goes to the
men who are injured.
Urges Washington Plan.
In Washington the state insurance
department has a commission Of three
men who investigate each industry
and determine on the tax to be paid
by the employer. A wife whose hus-
band is killed is paid $40 a month,
with IS per month additional for each
child, this to continue until she re-
marries, and the childrens pension
to continue until they are of age.
Mr.. Lescohier said that in order to
pass q law of this kind in Minnesota
the constitution probably will have to
be amended.