Americus times-recorder., 1915-06-23
STATE LEGISLATURES
PROTECT WORKM[N
AGAINST INJURY
Continued from Page -

act is elective and takes away from
the employers the common law de-
fenses, but the people will vote in
November on constitutional amend
ment permitting the legislature to
make it compulsory. The act creates
state insurance fund, but employ.
ers are permitted to protect them
selves in any ether form of insurance
or carry their own risks on approval
of the Bureau of Workmen's Compen-
sation which will administer the law.
Domestic and agricultural laborers
are exempted
The Indiana law provides no state
insurance, but permits the employer
to seek it where he chooses, or not at
all, if he gives proof of his financial
ability to pay the compensation This
is fixed at 55 per cent. of the average
wage not to exceed 500 weeks and in
case of death, burial expenses to the
defendants not to exceed $1OO and 55
per cent Of the weekly wage for 300
weeks. Domestic servants and agri-
cultural laborers are exempt and
those engaged in interstate commerce.
The law is elective with both en-
ployer and employe, and is admin
istered by state Industrial commits
sion.
Fifty per cent. weekly wage not to
exceed 500 weeks is the basis of the
Oklahoma law.
Iowa and Alabama are the states
which prohibited child labor. Maine
adopted law under which women
and boys under sixteen employed in
mills, factories and laundries are
not permitted to work more than 54
hours week. Pennsylvania enacted
a statute limiting the hours of labos
of children between IA and 16 years to
81 hours a week feature of the
law is that all such children employ
ed must go to vocational school at
least eight hours a week which must
be computed in the 81 hours, thus
making the actual working hours 4S.
1t further provides that no messeng-
ers under 21 years can be employed by
a telegraph, telephone or messenger
company after o'clock at night, and
that no child under 12 can sell news
papers. A statute along similar lines,
fixing at 10 years the minimum age OF
newsboys and other minors engaged
in street trades, was adopted by Cal
ifornia. In North Carolina, bills
designed to enable officials better to
enforce the present child labor laws
failed to pass.
Massachusetts enacted a bill pro-
hibiting the employment of women
and children overtime for the purpose
of making up for time lost on legal
holiday and another requiring indus
trial establishments to furnish fresh
and pure drinking water for employees
and accommodations for those who are
| injured or become ILL., A first aid
measure, somewhat similar to the lat
ter passed in the washington legis-
lature, was vetoed by Governor Lister.
Labor unions protested, it was drawn
in the interest of employers alone.
Alaska adopted an eight hour law
for place miners and pensioned her
aged and INDECENT prospectors. A bill
requiring employers of all kinds to
grant their employees one days rest
in seven was killed In the senate of
Wisconsin, but one making such pro-
vision Off railway employees was pass
ed by the assembly and was at this
writing awaiting action In the senate.
Other legislation affecting labor was
the abolition of the contract prison la
Dor system by Iowa; the enactment in
California of bill for the employment
of convicts for the building Of roads In
mountain districts; similar bill in
Idaho and law in that state compell-
ing county commissioners to provide
emergency work for the unemployeds
the establishment of free labor bu-
reaauS in New Jersey. and a law ia