The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-12-10
Coz. Hatfield
Confined from Page Twol).

6U0iu insure tne ContlnuAtlOu IN Tue
service OF the state the very best men
that could be had in the enforcement
OF the mining law, where as It is now.
lust as soon as a man becomes well
prepared to discharge his duty as
inspector he Is offered salary that
is very much more attractive than
the $175 per month that he receives
from the State, and In justice to him.
salt and his family he 10 forced to
secept a position with some mining
industry and leave the employment OF
the Commonwealth. There was a
strong OPT bsition against the increase
Of the stiary Of these inspectors at
the last session OF the Legislature
when was suggested, and II was de.
feated.
Fl hope that after mature delibera.
ton those who are interested In this
industry will give their support to
such q movement in legislatures to
come.
q suggested to Chief Henry that he
consult the mine operators, as well as
the miners, and get an expression OF
approval as well as suggestion In the
way Of amendments to any revision
that he contemplated to the mining
law, and this he did. I had at least
. dozen mine operators tell me how
heartily they approved the proposed
amendments. After the bill revising
the law supposedly had been agreed
to, II was introduced. A call Of alarm
was Immediately sent out that the
81 v,a tv.ta DC al IN q
new mining law that would be ruin
Gus. The next day some two or three
hundred operators were on the
ground. hope that these two or
three hundred men have discovered
by this time that 1t was matter OF
cheap politics, and II they have not,
they should investigate for themselves
and find the underlying motive for all
this commotlon. II my conclusions on
this subject are incorrect, why did
not the eight or ten prominent coal
operators to whom the proposed new
mining law was submitted express
their disapproval to Chief Henry or to
me instead Of leaving us under the
impression that .he proposed changes
met with their approval until the bill
had been introduced in the legislature
and they had their attorneys raise
the hue and cry? They were urgei by
Chief Henry and me to let us have
Itheir&yiews.
"The next instance was in connec-
ton with the Workmen's Compsnsa-
ition law. In 1918 bill was intro.
Iduced and passed which limited the
premiums OF all industries to one doi-
lar on the 500 pay roll, an amoaat
too small for certain classes OF indus.
tries, and the largest and one most
was the coal industry. This
the original bill prepared by me t5dt.
.cated, but others insisted to the Goa.
ltrary. Again. the bill worked an in1us.
tice on other Industries and caused
them to pay a larger premium than
was ACTUALLY necessary. The actu'
sry's statement revealed an unprotect.
ed liability in the coal schedule .,of
$3.50, 900. This amount and the amount
necessary to take care Of current liza.
biiities indicated that $2.25 on the
800 pay roll woul dbe required to
take care OF the compensation fund
aud Fmake 1t solvent, growing invest
ment. Surely no corporation would
care to invest in an insolvent concern,
and such was the position and advo.
cacyi OF some, Notwithstanding the fig.
3ures and facts disclosed, that sl.50,
which was desired at a maximum rate.
would be Just seventy-five cents less
'thangit would actually cost.
'The idea OF corporations carrying
their own risks l personally did not
favor, but did favor the merit system,
which we have under the new law.
But the position was taken by the ad.
yocates who favored carrying their
ownIinsurance that It was not SO much
the idea OF withdrawing from the
State Compensation Fund and the as.
sumption OF their own individual risk,
sitSwas to be assured against unfair
rates. This idea impressed the Legls.
laturei and 1t was adopted and not
opposed by me.
.IIthought the merit system the only
possible method to adopt, not for the
purpose Of requiring each industry to
carry its own Industrial burden, but to
place the Commissioner in position,
In cases where in his Judgment 1t was
Justified by reason of the fact that as
much sprecaution had not been taken
upon the part of some individual oper.
ator In the field In which he was oper.
ating, as was evidenced by his neigh.
Dor, In the effort to reduce accidents
by systematic safety campaign, to
increase the rate to be charged
against this class until they had
brought the number of accidents oc.
curing in their industry down to that
point which would compare favorabiy
with their neighbor. or course un.
deFstand that physical and other con.
.ditions OF the mine must be taken into
consideration in applying the merit
idea, but / am convinced II Is the only
way In which to save the lives and
limbs OF the employees and save the
industry needless expense, both high.
" desirable.
sTheirecord Of the operation Of the
compensation law up to the present
time S1usttfies my position in this mat.
ter. For instance, the risk in the
Pocahontas field is s1.70; in the New
River field, $4.12 tincluding Eccles and
Iayiand explosions), without these
two explosions the New River rate
would be S1.6S; Fairmont, $l.17; Tuck.
e. Sllb; Kanawha, SLOT; Mingo,
Logan, $1.06; Panhandle, $500:
y I'D Barbour, S1.54. Yet the
Pm of the low, volatile coal with few
g. ltonsSis greater in the market, SO
nv p1usdce Of a fat rate Is obvious
W.