Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-19
MARCH 10, 1913
WGRKAEN's COMPENSATION

reason TO believe that the present legislature will
pass compensation bill
As the Star Bulletin pointed out when the
first signs Of opposition arose Hawaii cannot af-
ford to take the altogether antiquated attitude
that workmen's compensation is not a sound
economic plan One has only to follow the trend
of mainland legislation To see that state after
state is passing employers liability acts Of one
kind or another, and to realize that the differ.
ences now are not Of principle but of method
Within the last few weeks President Taft pro-
mulgated a workmen's compensation law for the
Canal Zone Reference has already been made
in these columns to the fact that more than fiji
teen states have spread similar acts upon their
statute books. One and ALL they have realized
that industries ought to bear the cost of the in
juries inflicted upon those engaged in the work,
just as industries now bear the cost of ACCIDENT
to or depreciation of the machinery This funda-
mental principle is admirably stated in recent
number of the Outlook as follows:
When a machine is injured in the course of its
use the owner Of the machine bears the of the
injury and charges the expense of production
for which he receives payment he sells his goods
When however, workman is injured in the
OF his employment, the cost Of the injury upon
him, who ill-afford it; and il injury
is serious, resulting in long ncapacity for work.
in death. his family is drafted into that great
of dependents that is reproach to civilization
There is no reason that common accept
why the cost in human efficiency and human life of
the production of the things that people need should
not be charged to the account of that production,
just charged the cost in injury to machinery.
The Outlook points out further it is fair tol
say, that in New York state the law has been
held unconstitutional, though the judges de-
clared legislation of the kind is greatly needed
1t is by no means certain, however, that such a
law would be declared Unconstitutional in Ha
waii, and in any event the New York decision has
not and should not be accepted as an argument
against the general principle of workmen's COM
pensation legislation
The Outlook's summary of legislation of the
kind states that the present trend is toward Civ
ing the employer the chance to choose betweenf
various kinds of funds from which the compen-
satory payments are to be drawn. For instance
four possible ways of providing the fund are Civ
en-, as follows:
First each employer may reserve portion of his
income out of which to pay his own employees. This
Of is possible when the employer is great
corporation; but it is practically out of the question
with the small employer who would find it impos-
sble meet the of serious disaster suddenly
occurring Second number of employers may join
establishing common compensation fund, thus
carrying for this particular purpose process of
mutual insurance Third, the employers who choose
to act accordance with compensation law may /
be required to take out insurance in private liability
companies There is great objection to this espe-
cally the part of organized workmen. The rea- I
for this objection that these liability
panies have interest whatever in the relation be-
tween the employer and the employees, and are
therefore likely disregard all the human element
that the employer would take into considerations
that some of these liability companies have, at least
in the past, been guilty like some other corpora
tons, sharp practices in order to payment of
the insurance; and that the cost of the agents
essary fer the securing of business adds unneces-
sarily of the insurance and therefore sub
tracts from the amount that the workman otherwise
might receive Fourth, the fund out of which COM
pensaion may be paid may be administered by the
state, each employer-and possibly each employe-
contributing quota the fund.- the disbursements
being made by department of the state government.
The Outlook suggests that perhaps good So
luton of the problem would be bill establish
ing a compulsory compensation system with
these four optional methods as to insurance. I
One of the vital questions, of course, in any
compensation act is the amount of compensation
allowed In view of the local interest in the sub
iect, the following Summary of various plans is
applicable We have summarized first, the COM
pensation allowed in the bill proposed by Sen
ator Writ secondly, the compensation allowed
in the Panama canal act, and thirdly, the amount
allowed in the model compensation act drafted
by the Conference of Commissioners on Uniform
state Laws, a body which has done much to pro
mote wise uniform Legislation.
THE WRIT ACT tSENATE BILL 100
For Death-Payment of sum equal to 2oS times
empoyes weekly wage in he leave person or