The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-07
COMPENSATION
WOULD COST
TRIFLING SUM
Prof. Fisher Addresses
Committee On
Judiciary
Cost Of Caring for Injured
WOTkHlsn Less Than Two Per
Cent of Pay Roll

11d441OIus AldIEn Upon 1uVlL6LIOn
of the joint committees on the
judiciary and labor committee bills on
workmenss Compensation, Prof. Will
lard C. Fisher of Middletown, today
made argument in favor of this Iesds-
lation along lines which in general had
not been touched by those who were
heard at previous hearings. Because
Prof. Fisher represented the Hartford
Central Labor union on this matter
at the last session and because Of his
close study of the subject, the COM
nlittee had expressed their desire to
have him take up some particular
features of compensation and en-
ployers' liability to which he had made
reference in his replies to questiona
asked him by other speakers at the
previous hearings.
Prof. Fisher, today, asked not so
much in advocacy of any particular
bill az for what he considered the
essential and important provisions OF
a good compensation law. He strong
" advocated the need of state fund
and state board to administer it aS
well as the compensation law In. gem
eral;~ but he insisted also on grant
ing permission for organization OF en-.
pIoyers mutual associations on the
Massachusetts plan. He urged that
such mutual associations had been
found the most effective means OF In;
Producing safety devices for the pre-
vention of accidents. And the preven-
tfon Of accidents rather than a sorry
malxeshift of half Compensation for
mere. money loss to workers, he held,
was the real purpose OF workmen'sl
compensation legislation.
Taking up provisions of bills in de-
TAIL Prof Fisher said: 'NThere Is lit
tie need for elaborate argument las to-
the industrial feasibiIitS-ef this much
L
there were fears that the industries
in Connecticut might suffer If your
predecessorg in this Legislature should
put through a Compensation act IN ad-
vance of other states with which Con-
nectfcutl was and is in competition.
ssThe question is no longer whether
Connecticut is willing to ventuge some
dollars for the bright honor Of stand
ing in the van of great movement
for enlightened mercy. A dozen OF
our rivals in industry have dared to
stand where we dared not; and a
dozen more will soon stand with them.
tt is simply a question whether GOn-
neeticut shall cling fatuously to an
apparent advantage purchased with
the blood and lives of her workers.
I say an apparent advantage; for the
burden put upon the community by
such systems of compensation as we
are thinking about is. at the most but
very slight.
Suppose, if you will, that compen-
sation, carried by insurance of some
sort, costs per cent of the payroll.
And this is not far from liberal eSti-
mate. This would become little less
than half Of one per cent. on the
values of the products or of the ex-
penses of manufacturing. But even
this small sum, five cents on a so
article is not, to the full, an added
charge. 1t, is in place of the sums
now paid for liability and litigation or
for liability insurance and for khat
care and solace which the just and
points more be noted. Compensation
is in great measure only shift
ing burden. The burden Of the
manning and the killings is carried
now as it must always be carried by
sonebo But without some such
new law as we are advocating it is
carried in Connecticut in the worst
possible way, in part in our orphan
ages and asyIums. in part by the
struggling sufferers, themselves, until
perhaps they sink and disappear,
wasted energy as well as wasted life.
Secondly, any wise scheme of compen-
and so the burden of compensations
When all these facts are given their
weight by the committee you will
conclude that, within the limits of
any of the bi1lsS before you, you need
have no fears of overburdening Con-
necticut Industry"
Prof Fisher then turned to the con-
stitutiona1 side of the proposed leg
islation saying there need be less
said about the constitutionaEty of the
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