Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-04-03
COMPENSATION
BILL ISPASSED
BY THE SENATE
Bill Discussed in Upper House
Since Opening of Session Is
Adopted With Amendments

The senate today went on record as
favOring a definite form of compensa
ton for WOrkingmen who are injured
| IN the performance OF their duty II
passed senate bill No on final read
ing, the bill now going to the hOnse
Of representatives. This measure, in
troduCed the first day Of the session
by Senator A L. Castle. p~Jvides IN
final form only for laboring Il ell re
Ceiving a monthly wage OF $3.50 Ol
less, not applying to the higher paid
| workman.
In many respects it is considered
even more liberal than similar laws in
effect in most of the states on the
mainland The subject was consider
ed and discussed thoroughly by the
senators before they took action upon
it, and the bill underwent a large mum
Der of amendments, materially sim
pl!fying its form, before they accepted
it,
AS it came up for third reading to
day senate bill No. 2, the workmen's
compensation act; did not carry the
territorial insurance feature. 1t pro-
yided that the most the family of an
employe who is killed in the course of
his work can obtain in case he dies
is total of approximately $500, pay.
able by the employer in weekly,
monthly or quarterly instalments for a
period of 312 weeks or six years.
In event the workman is totally and
permanently disabled the most his
family would be able to get would be
$4,000. payable in instalments of not
more than SIS a week. The measure
applies only to workmen with a wage
or not more than $3.50 a. month, so
that the skilled mechanic or foreman,
no matter how hazardous his employ
ment, will receive no benefit from its
provisions.
The highest paid workman to profit
from it is the one getting a wage of
about $50 week If he is killed and
leaves a family OIL a wife and three
or more children, the family would
receive more than $21 a week. If he
is totally disabled he and his family,
would receive SIS a week In other
words, the man with a family of three
or more children may receive 80 per
cent of his weekly wage for a period
of six years; if the family consists of
only two children he would get so per
cent of the weekly wage for the same
period, and if there is only one child
he would get 40 per cent OF his wage.
Employees of the territorial govern
ment are to benefit by the act, but
the elimination of the insurance fea-
ture means that the recompense will
not be as high for the workman as
the bill originally intended.
The senate worked on the measure
in an extra night session last evening
for two hours, completing a review of
the bulky document section by section.
In discussion over repeated attempts
by Senator Baldwin to amend it, reduc-
ing the percentage basis Of recon-
pense to 80, 40 and so per cent of
the weekly wage some interesting in
formation was developed concerning
the wages paid plantation laborers.
Senator Makekau Of Hawaii said
that Hamakua plantation paid it's Ia
borers an average of $22 a month,
exclusive of perquisites, the perquis-
ties bringing the actual income up to
$50 a month. Rice said that planta-
tion workmen on Kauai receive about
$1.15 a day exclusive of perquisites,
and Senator Penhallow, who is man.
ager of the Wailuku plantation on
Maui, averred that his lowest-paid la
borers get an average of $2S a month
besides perquisites. These perquisites-
consist Of the house occupied by the
workman and his family, fuel wood,
hospital and medical attendance and
similar features; in the case of the
Maui. plantations, this would bring the
actual income of the lowest-paid la
borer up to $35 or $50 month.
Senator Baldwin's effort to have the
percentage basis reduced was not due
to the fact that he is plantation
man and that these interests want the
maximum. compensation cut down,
opponents admitted. They
said they did not believe the plenta.
tions opposed the bill and in some
cases conceded that the plantations
favor the act, and that in almost ey-
cry instance the plantation laborers
who are injured are receiving more
from their employers todayDthan they
will get under the compensation acts
terms.
Senator Writ was another who ia
vored a reduction of the total COM
pensation and he finally succeeded in
obtaining the adoption of an amend
ment cutting down the total in case
of disab ility from $500 to $500. He
produced printed statistical tables
that the total allowed for
death under Hawaii's proposed act is
larger than now paid under similar
laws in almost any state
Of the Union. He also proved that the |
weekly recompense in such |
cases as proposed is far higher than