Evening star., 1914-10-24
Must Take Out Workmen's
Compensation Insurance
Policies in That State.
(,
FELLOW SERVANT PLEA
/ BARRED BY STATUTE
Washington House Painters Will
Take Up Topic at International
Convention Here.

Beginning November 1 no Washing
ton contractor in any line will be per-
mitted to undertake a job of work in
Maryland without first taking out
policy under the provisions of the new
Maryland state workmen's compensa-
tion law. which becomes effective on
that date. The minimum amount of
insurance permitted under the new
law is $50, so that any Washington
contractor who takes a job of painting.
bnicklaying or any other kind Of work,
nS matter il the amount involved in
the contract is 500 or even less. will
be required, under drastic penalties
for failure to obey the laws pro-
visions, to take out workmens COM
pennsation insurance to that amount.
The new law, which was passed at
the last session of the Maryland gen.
eral assembly, expressly forbids em-
pIpyers of labor to enter fellow
servant plea in case i workman is
injured or killed through the negli-
gence of another workman The law
also expressly prohibits employers
from entering into agreement with
employees whereby the latter waive the
right to compensation N case of ac-
cidental injury. and contributions from
employees to fund for paying the
premiums on the required insurance
are expressly prohibited.
D Extra Hazardous Labor.
The occupations classed as extra
hazardous under the provisions of the
new law include practically every form
of labor from coal mining to work in
bakeries and cracker factories. Paint
ers, decorators. stone and brick masons,
stareotypers. pressmen-in short. prac-
tidally every occupation followed by
working men-are included in the
laws provisions. only the professions
being omitted. For fear that some
trade or occupation has been omitted
in the compilation of the list, which
comprises forty-two paragraphs Of the
lazy. the following paragraph follows
thf classification:
Tin addition to the employments set
out in the preceding paragraphs. this
act is intended to apply to all extra
hazardous employments not specifically
enumerated herein
Renalty for failure to observe any or
all Of the provisions of the new law
are fires of not less than $500 or more
than $1,000. In addition to the express
prohibition of pleas of contributory
negligence. assumption of risk and fell
lo%-servant rule contained in the law,
employers of labor are subject to suit
for damages for injuries in case the in
Jufed employe so elects.
Three Forms of Insurance.
Insurance under tie new law may be
one of three forms. The employer may
take out his insurance under the pro-
viSions of the state accident insurance
fund; he may elect to insure in a cas-
ualty company. or he may choose to
carry the insurance himself. Choice of
one of the three methods of carrying
the workmen's compensation insurance
is"to be designated in the application
to- the state industrial accident COM
mission. which body may. in it's discre-
tion. accept or reject the applicants
proposed method.
Compensation to be paid by employers
to-, employees injured-either through
their own or another's negligence-is
fiHed by the new law at so per cent of
the employees wages at the time the
injury was sustained for periods rang
toe other than the great toe. to 200
weeks for the loss of an arm. The law.
however, limits the total amount of
compensation to be paid to an employe
to $4,000. except in certain cases. En-
pl9yes whose earning capacity Is de-
creased by reason of injury to less than
$fs a week are to be paid the full
amount of the compensation provided
ii sia.l the law Tor their particular alsa0'''-
IN cases of partial disability an injured
eypploye is to receive so per cent of his
weekly wages until the total has reached
the sum of $500. In case an employe
who is killed while engaged in his par
ticular work is survived by wholly de-
pendent persons the employer is required
tor pay such dependents so per cent of
the employees wages weekly until the
sum Of s4,25O has been paid Partly de-
pendent survivors Of employees who are
killed while at work are to be paid
IL, per cent Of the employees weekly
80
Protect Weekly Payroll.
Contractors and other employers of
LABOR are required under the new law
to- take out policies providing workmens
compensation to the amount Of their
weekly payroll: that is. if the weekly
payroll amounts to 800 the policy must
be for that amount The law provides
that employers of labor permanently 10
Gated in the state of Maryland may take
OUT policies for definite periods of time,
SAP, a year; however. the right is re-
served to the state industrial accident
coplmission to scrutinize an employers
bopks at any time and to demand addi-
u6hal insurance should it appear that
the amount of the weekly payroll was
inE excess Of the insurance in force at
the time Of the investigation.
She new law was called to the atten-
ton of the Master House Painters and
Decorators Association at its meeting
last Tuesday, and investigation which
was made Immediately developed that
The laws provisions appear to be so
stringent that Washington house paint
ers, as well as contractors in any other
line doing business in the District Of
Columbia, will probably be barred from
contracting for work to be done across
the District line in Maryland
Maryland's new worknenS compensa-
tion law is to be topic of intense in
terest at the convention of the Interna-
ttonal Association of House Painters and
Decorators Of the United States and
Canada, which is to meet in Washington
the week Of February g.
George r. Jones. twenty-six years
old, VINO took over an ounce of barium
in