Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-21
EMPLOYERS LIABILITY LAW.

One OF the bills that will come be-
fore the legislature during the term
now in session, is an employers nabll-
ity law, or as it Is called IN some
states. a workmen's compensation act.
The intent of such measure is 10
nrovide compensation for an employe
Who ia injured while engaged IN his
daily labor. a,. .. .,x,s...
There is no question but that law
az This kind should be enacted. But
a. ia very necessary for both the en-
ployes and employers that 1T should De
formed along the right lines. IN some
states, laws of this kind nave peen
adopted, and before they mad oeen III
operation but a short Tune; they
proved detriment to both the EN-
ployer and employee. There are some
good features in most all OF the laws
that have been enacted, ana there are
also some very bad features.
No proposition will come before the
Iowa legislature that is of more import.
ance % the state than the one referred
to. No proposition is now before the
state of Iowa that more vitally anects
its future than this one. For the legls'
lature to enact an employers liability
law that, on the face of it, is ruinous
to the employers, will keep factories
out OF Iowa, and in doing so. will work
against the advancement Of the state
Likewise, for the legislature to put into
force a law that is unjust to the en-
ploye, will also be wrong, and an I'M
pediment to the progress of the state.
A fair and equitable measure, taking
into consideration the length of time 1t
must cover, the cumulative effects, the
possibility of really meeting the de-
nands created by unavoidable acct
dents, and the dispensing with ltiga-
ton, can only be formulated by much
thought and study being put upon IT,
II Ii necessary that members OF our
legislature should get all the knowl7
edge they can from employers and en-
ployes in states where these laws are
now In force. The people OF Iowa can
profit much by the experience OF those
who are now experimenting.
This is a subject that the employe as
we'll as the employer is vitality con-
cerned In. He can do much In helping
to solve this problem. It is to his in
terest to assist In this effort. Under
present, conditions, through litigation,
the injured workman often loses much
OF the money that the employer pays
on account Of the workman receiving
such injury. Some plan ought to be
devised whereby both the employer
and employe can be relieved from that
feature, When the employer pays out
mcn.y on account of an accidental IN.
jury, the injured should get it-all
Of it. So 49,.
There will never be time when
people Will be exempt from accidental
injury, because injurious accidents oc-
cur In all lines of work. Statistics
show that there are as many accidents
occur on the farm as in the factory. 1t
is stated that the percentage OF acci-
dents in Germany, great manufactur-
Ing country, Is almost equally divided
between the shop and the farm.
AS we said above, a law that Is just
and equitable to the employe and en-
ployer should be enacted, but it Is not
measure on which snap Judgment
should be taken, nor one that should
be put through with undue haste.
Suficient time should be taken to
study this matter, and take up and dis
cuss the different plans suggested.
some men favor the insurance plan.
and others suggest different lines of
procedure, Some men claim that 1t
Is an easy matter to make law that
will answer for a year or two, but that
some Of the plans suggested will, in ten
or twenty years put the ordinary bust
ness institution In position where it
can not continue to operate.
A little study Of the matter con vinces
pne that the subject will require
great deal Of study In order to arriv,
ut the right solution.