The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-03-06
WORKMEN'S
CONF PENSATION
From The Ohio Farmer.

A bill has been introduced in the
Ohio senate providing for the esllec.
tiOn and disbursement of a fund for the
benefits of injured employees, and the
dependents Of the same when killed
at their work. 1t applies only to en-
ployers of Eve or more people, but it
will interest the farmers of tle state
for other reasons. In the first place
it gives the state monopoly Of the
casualty insurance business. Ohio
has always made a strong stand
against monorolies Of all kinds. The
stat should be consistent. The
principle of the bill is all right in that
1t seeks to provide benefits for those
injured or killed at their work. But
state insurance is still more of less OF
an experiment and it would seem un-
wise to countenance monopoly until
the method enjoying the monopoly
has been shown to be the most eco
nomiCal in every way. This bill
makes it mandatory for all employers
of five or more persons TO pay to the
state liability board OF awards the
sums that the board shall specify ac-
cording to the number of employees
and the nature of the employment.
The fact that an employer may desire
20 carry insurance In a regular estab-
lished insurance company makes no
difference under this measure, and in
fact the bill seems to invalidate any
contract with a regular insurance
company which would protect an en-
ployer in case an employe chose TO
sue for a larger sum than the bill
provides for his specific injury. The
measure provides that mo injunction
shall issue suspending or restraining
any order, classification or rate
adopted by the board" 1t is given
free hand to go ahead-be' its man
dates fair or unfair. There may be
instances when the views Of such a
board may not be broad enough to
grasp the real situation and in such
cases the employer should have some
recourse. The particular feature Of
the measure that will concern the
taxpayers is that all expense Of ad-
miniStration in connection with the
board shall be paid out of the state
treasury. The board is given full
power to employ assistants of all
kinds and to fix their compensation.
1t is Immediately evident that if it
desired to do so the board could en-
gage an army of inspectors, ex
aminers, experts" physicians, ETC.,
and all would receive pay from the
state treasury at the discretion Of the
board. This is too great power to
delegate to any board. The expense
of operating such system is con-
servatively estimated at upwards OF
a million dollars, annually. In our
judgment it is all right for the state
to afford a means of protection of
workmen, and to specify what that
protection shall be for each line of
work. But so long as there are
powerful insurance companies pro-
vided to handle this line of business,
whose methods are subject to rigid
laws and whose operation is directly
subject to the laws of competition, it
is unwise to force all employers to
participate in the plan fostered by
the state. Leave the business open
to competition but subject it to rigid
control. The farmers of Ohio will un-
doubtedly oppose such measure as
senate bill 48, as it makes them pay
a large part of the expense Of operat-
ing a bureau which is largely CON
cerned in controlling conditions Of
city employees.