Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-17
PUBLIC SERVICE
WELT ARE WORK
COST S1O4,282
Yearly Report of conpany's
Committee just Filed Shows
Expenditures for Year.

The third annual report Of the well
fare committee of Public Service Cor
poration Of New Jersey has just been
issued. This committee has under
its jurisdiction the payments made by
the corporation TO employees, or the
dependents. for pensions. sick benefits
and life insurance and for compensa-
ton given under the employers liabil-
ity act of 1911
The report shows that during the
last year s104232.50 was expended, of
which s56, 42676 was paid under the
company's voluntary welfare plan
and 47.857.74 for injuries and deaths
from accidents arising out of and in
course of the employment. This is
an increase of S13, 204.79 over the
previous year, and brings the total
expenditures for the three years the
plan and law have been in operation
to s24s, 9s5.
The welfare plan. which is main
tanned by the corporation without ex-
pense to the employees, involves the
payment of one dollar a day sick
benefit; $500 life insurance, payable
to beneieiaries at the death of en-
ployes, and pensions based on years
of service. The allied companies have
L.. 298 employees, of which 1865 are
railway, 1902 gas and S031 electric.
Much statistical data is given in
the report bearing upon the causes
character and cost Of disability and
death. During the year 4,60S cases
of illness, accident. approximation
and death were reported. Under the
company's system these are all
promptly reported and relief afforded
where called for. A corps of visitors
is maintained, and these keep in per-
sonal touch with all the cases. More
than half the cases noted required no
more than first aid" treatment or
slight attention by physicians, the in
jurles being of so trivial nature that
they did not entail loss of time to the
victims
While the State law provides the
compensation that shall be paid in
cases of accidents the company adj
ministers the law according to its
spirit rather than in keeping with its
strict letter, applying it's own welfare
benefits in every case where they
would exceed the requirements of the
law, with the result that during the
year the money paid out for acct
dents was $4,000 more than a strict
compliance with the law would have
demanded.
During the year there were fifty-six
crease of nine from the preceding
year and the total represented NOR
tally rate of 80 per thousand. OF
the deaths, pneumonia accounted for
twelve; tuberculosis, nine; heart dis
ease eight; nephritis and Bright's
disease, six.
Sick benefits were allowed in 1,247
cases, an increase of II per cent. over
the previous year, the amount paid
out reaching a total of $24, 917. The
average duration of disability was
twenty -seven days. The predominant
diseases and the number of cases of
each were: Influenza, 2SS; rheumatism
and govt, 113; bronchitis, Sc; stomach
diseases, Sc: traumatism by fall, Al,
and tuberculosis, 2S. The report also
discioses that there were three cases
/ of measles, three of scarlet fever and
/ two of diphtheria and Group. The
total number of days for which bene-
] fits were paid amounted to an equiVa7
/ lent of sixty-eight years.
/ A significant fact is shown In that
while the railway trainmen number
about one-third of the total employees.
they account for about two-thirds of
the cases of disability. On the other
hand the rate of illness among the la
borers is very low. There were fifty
three pensions in force during the
year.