Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-05-11
EDITOR
VORKHEE's CONFIRMATION LAWS

i
sation bill was tabled upon report Of the house
Judiciary committee, mainly for the rrdson that
Legislation uf the subject in the states. up to
that time, was scanty and, i'm two OF the ex-
amples, had failed to stand judicial review. Ac-
cording to recently issued bulletin of the bu-
reau Of labor statistics, the only labor compensa
ton laws passed before that year were a federal
act OF 1903. d Montana law OF 1909 and two New
York tnartments OF 1910. The federal law was
amended In 1909, 1911 and 1912; the. Montana
law was declared unconstitutional as Was also
one of the New York statutes IS
! However, in the year that the Hawaiian bill
was laid aside ten of the states passed compensa.
s ton laws, and in the two following years other
states followed which brought the total of such
measures, including the federal law, up to TWEEN
ity-four. While two have been declared void by
the Judiciary as stated, the coHstitutionality of
the statutes of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio,
/ Washington and Wisconsin has been upheld by
the highest court in each state. The act dis
: allowed in New York was compulsory statute
applicable only to railway service leaving on
the statute books the elective law relating to
other employments
] The first report published in the United States
devoted to the subject Of workmen's insurance
was the fourth special report Of the commits
lsioner of labor issued in 1893, which related to
!, the system of compulsory insurance in Germany.
/ At that time compensation for industrial acct
dents had been established BY. law in two coun.
tries only, Germany in 1884 and Austria in
1887. "Since the publication of this first re-
ment Of the legislation providing for workmen's
compensation for Industrial accidents in Europe
and throughout the world has been extremely
rapid in fact it may be doubted whether any
subject of labor legislation has ever made such
progress or gained so general acceptance for its
principles throughout the world in so brief a
period The legislative summaries in the pres,
eift report show that fort yone foreign countries
lfincluding all European countries except Tur-
key have introduced some form Of workmen's
compensation for industrial accidents all of
which, while showing great variations in the
industries covered, the amount of compensation
provided and the methods by which compensa-
ton payments are secured, recognize the prin-
eiples Of compensation as distinguished from the
older idea Of employers liability previously ac-
leepted in the civil law of continental Europe,
| as we'll as in English and American law''
With so large a body of legislation in existence
! as here shown, from which to mould . measure
suted to local conditions, there does not seem to
be occasion for more delay in the enactment of a
workmens compensation law for Hawaii 1T is
lsOmething that should not be omitted in franz
ing platforms for the approaching elections. AS
the bulletin here quoted remarks, The amount OF
information now available seems sufficient to
warrant the preparation of an adequate law to
meet any industrial conditions.
Workmen's compensation insurance. il IS in.
terestlng to note, is now a matter of regular
underwriting. Data of operations in this respect
oy the United States branch of an important in
surance company of London, transacting bust.
ness in thirty one states of the Union and the
territory OF Hawaii, are given in the report. For
the year 1912 the branch received premiums
amounting to $2,961,4 in this division of in.
surance, Of which IA per cent represented pre-.
miups on employers liability, SO per cent on
other forms of liability and % per cent on work.
mems compensation insurance In the report Of
the insurance department of the state of New
York, which investigated the operations in ones.
ton, It is found that 'the compensation is oaid
promptly in all cases where the law IF the state
J, shows clearly that compensation is due e e
Any delay in making settlements or disputes that
have arisen can in practicallyall cases be blamed
on the failure of the laws of the various states
/ clearly TO prescribe the amount of seneGt dine
1 the workman. y
4 answering the query of correspondent who
lWrote TO this paper, Auditor Field today makes
A 1nSHyI