Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-11-05
INDUSTRIAL PROBE
GOING RIGHT AHEAD
WOrkmen's Compensation Com
mission Will Report Some
Interesting Observations
BOHLEN OUTLINES LABORS
Data of Great Value to the Legis-
lature Will Be Ready When
1t Begins Its Work

i
sion has determined not to hold any I
public meetings throughout the state |
The public meetings which were held |
by the commission of 1911, of which |
it is a continuance, sufficiently de- |
veloped the views of all parties directly !
and indirectly interested in the ques- !
tions. The commission issued bulle-
tin which contains the tentative draft !
of legislation which it contemplates
submitting to the Legislature at It's
next session. Since that time 1t has
been considering the very small num-
ber of criticisms it has received there (.
on. These criticisms are either repe-
titions of suggestions or objections
made before the commission at its
public hearings in 1912 or are merely
suggestions for changes in the word
ing of the acts proposed.
Francis III. Bohlen, the secretary,
says
The members have been devoting
attention to a study of the effect OF
similar acts in force in other states
of the Union and such changes as ap-
pear in the tentative legislation as
compared with the act submitted to
the Legislature of 1918 are primarily
inspired by the experience of these
states. 1t is matter of satisfaction
to us to discover from the reports re-
ceived from them that the predictions
which our commission made as to the
probable effect of our act have been
more than borne out by their expert
ence. which shows:
"(1 That litigation between em-
ployer and employe in respect to work
accidents has been reduced to very
small fraction of its previous volume.
"(2) That in the great majority of
states the payment of compensation is
begun within a very few weeks after
the occurrence of the accident thus
affording a relief to the sufferers at
the period when their distress Is most
acute. In some few states there has
been some delay, due to the fact that
the acts there in force require every
claim to be passed upon by commits
sion before payments can be made.
This procedure, while it works COM
paratively well in states of smaller in
dustrial importance, has been found
to result in delay in states which are,
like Pennsylvania, of great industrial
Importance, and where there is neces-
sarily a great number of industrial
accidents.
"(3) The number of serious injuries
especially those resulting in death, has
shown q very marked decrease. In
some cases the fatal accidents have
diminished within one year after the
act went into effect not less than so
per cent. While the commission pre-
dicted that compensation act If
passed, would decrease the number of
serious and fatal injuries, they did not
venture to predict such satisfactory re-
suits as experience shows have been
accomplished in other states. Impor-
tapt as it is that sufferers from work
accidents should be relieved from
financial distress. it is still more i'm
portant that such accidents should be
prevented. This experience shows that
the commission has underrated rather
| than overrated the effect of its pro-
| lVNT.e ~fe1, f.,, IT,
industrial workers of the state from
death and injury.
| "(4) The cost to the employer has
been less than the commission dared
to predict. This is a matter which
concerns not merely the employers of
the State and through them their en-
ployed, but also every consumer OF
products manufactured within the
state. 1t is of interest to all to know
| that in Massachusetts the cost of com.
| pensation during its first year amount
ed to less than one mill on every dol
| lars worth of product. 1t is obvious.
| therefore, that the burden which the
consumer of the product must bear is
so inconsiderable as to be in effect
negligible.
when the act submitted in 1913
was before the Legislature fears were
| expressed that insurance companies
| would take undue advantage of en-
| rates Gf insurance. Whatever danger
there might have been of this will be
avoided by the State insurance fund
! created by the act published in a ten
tative form in the bulletin before men,
toned. This. together with mutual
| insurance associations. the creation of
which is provided for in another act
| submitted, affords the employer desr-
ing to insure a wide range of choice
as to the means of insurance. The ex-
| perience of other states shows that
where there is this competition, insur-
ance rates have decreased very sub
stantially. in some instances as much
as 80 or 80 per cent.
Il give you this summary of the ex-
| perience Of other states in which COM
| pensation acts are in force, as l be-
| lieve they will be of interest to the
citizens of our state. If the Gegis-
lature at it's next session enacts the
legislation proposed, they will not be
| trying an experiment, but will be
adopting n system which has been
! found in practice under American con-
ditions to have already given extremely
! satisfactory results"