Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-03-21
FOR LESSENING
THE ACCIDENTS
Bill Aimed at Industrial Con-
ditions In State.
(From the NEWS Corrsspondent.)

IRON the NE WIS CoTfsSpoHdeht.)
Trenton. March 21.-An import
ant bill introduced In the Assembly
last week by Assernblyman Walter
/. McDermott, OF Hudson county, is
aimed at the roofing out Of indust-
rial accidents in this state. Assem-
blyman McDermontt's bill provides
that the State Commissioner of Edu-
cation, in collaboration with the
members of the Employers Liability
Commission and the Director OF the
American Museum of Safety Devices.
shall prepare a hand book or manual
of accident prevention and industrial
hygiene. The book is to be arranged
in lessons or chapters adapted to the
understanding of the various grades
in the schools of the state. A copy
of this book Ia to be supplied to all
teachers in public, private and paro-
chial schools of New Jersey, and
twice a month not less than thirty
minutes is to be devoted by teachers
to reading these lessons to their
classes.
The bill also provides that at least
once during each school term, the
services of a competent expert from
the American Museum of Safety shall
be secured. for the purpose of deliv-
ering Illustrated lectures before all
the assembled classes Of each school
on the subject of accident proven
ton and the principles OF hygiene.
That the subject covered by the
McDermott measure Is an important
one is shown by the fact that for the
year ending September 80, 1912,
there were in the State of New Jer-
sey 2,168 industrial accidents result
ing in death or injury to persons.
The total number Of people killed or
fatally injured In these industrial ac-
cidents 925, the number seriously in
jured was 1920. The number of
minor accidents was 423.
These accidents were divided as
follows: factories and workshops,
killed or fatally hurt, Sc: seriously
injured 442. Transportation, steam
and electric, killed or fatally hurt,
1928; seriously injured 254. Line
men and electric workers, killed or
fatally hurt, 20; seriously injured,
22. Unclassif1ed accidents, killed or
fatally, hurt. "A; seriously injured in
jured lat.
Assemblyman McDermott thinks
that his bill will be enacted without
opposition. He said today hat a
faithful adherence to the plan of in
struction for which 1t provides should
result in the workers of coming years
bring to their tasks minds trained to
an appreciation Of occupational dan
gers to life and health, and an I'M
Outstanding of the means by which
they may be mitigated or avoided.
Mr.. McDermott says his bill goes
to the very root of the evil hat is so
wasteful Of valuable human lives, by
teaching at the most impressionable
age, the children who, in the course
Of q few years, will necessarily take
the places in the great industrial
army now occupied by the present
generation OF workers. This ~instruc-
ton will be how they may effectually
safeguard themselves against the dan
gers by which the lives Of their pre-
decessors were surrounded.
The best results OF the study given
by scientifically guided mechanics.
physicians and others interested in
reducing the loss of life and health
in industrial pursuit, will be brought
within the reach OF all, and a capa-
city for intelligent self protection will
take the place of present dependents
on more or less crude systems of of
fetal supervision.
Based on the experience with in
dustrial accidents reported in Ger
many, Assemblyman McDermott
thinks that under the policies laid
down in his bill a time will come
when thirty per cent. of accidents due
to ignorance and AZ per cent.
charged to unavoidable risks should
be eliminated entirely or very ma