The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-05-01

they have dictated the doctor who
shall treat their men and deducted the
dollars from mems wages wherewith
to pay him, irrespective Of the quality
of his services. Our carefully pre-
pared statistics show that the cost of
treating an accident is about s25;
1000 accidents received awards; med
ical treatment therefor, $175,00O.
Treatment of Sickness.
"Now the hospital ticket entities a
workman to treatment for sickness,
but not for medical services to his
family, or chronic disorders. The eX-
perience of big corporations and the
national hospital association in this
state and Oregon indicates that about
one-half the ticket cases are on ac-
count of sickness. Let us say then
that 100000 is required to treat in
dustrial accidents and sickness arts
ing in course of employment. l main
tain that the remainder of the mems
million dollars constitutes a corpora
ton or a contract doctors graft of
100000 year, or nearly as much as
was paid out in the first compensation
year in accident awards.
Workmen Garry Bulk of Burden.
I'm 1877 cases we are tabulating in
our report, the wage loss from acct
dent was $4,000; the cost of medical
treatment, $4,000 more, or, 100000
loss to the workmen besides the pain
and suffering. The awards under the
law could only be $4,000 in those
cases. In other words, the workmen
bore two-thirds of the financial loss of
the injuries and the industries took
care of one-third of the load. This is
is furnished, because they will be
maintained that employers can not
pay greater awards because of the
competition in other states, but in
view of the facts that premiums for
protection are much higher in other
adopted compensation acts, that in
such states medical treatment is fur
nished in every instance, and in view
of the fact that much of the drain on
the accident fund in Washington is
due to small injuries which need not
be compensated if medical treatment
is furnished, because they will be
healed within two or three weeks
waiting period. / maintain that the
opponents of first aid are short sight
ed and inhumane; their OPPOSITION will
tend to produce a clamor for increas-
ing the awards, paying $4,000 or $4,000
for a lost arm instead of $1,000, the
present allowance, for instance.
"The OPPOSITION of the doctors con-
stitutes a defense of the contract sys-
tenn of selling professional services
at wholesale and defending few ia
vorites who are given their personal
franchise by corporation managers.
Instead of free competition they are
defending a privilege that in many
cases is a graft The medical profess
sion is under undue criticism as it is;
let them beware that they do not in
v'te doctors paid by unions or by the
states in geographical districts,
which. as l understand, is the very
calamity which they fear"
No Limbs for Sale.
1t will be noted from the above quo
tation that, in addition to suffering
the loss of physical equipment, the
worker is called upon to bear two
thirds of the financial loss as well.
Besides, the worker is made the vic
tim of the hospital grafters.
The absence of first aid" clause
has operated to cheaper the insurance
to the employer AS a result proper
measures for the safeguarding of dan
gerous machinery have not been
taken.
The worker is not interested in
for injuries so much as
he is in prevention of accidents.
Workmen of the state have no arms,
legs or eyes to sell at the price laid