Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-06
WIFE AND CHILDREN
NO HANDICAP UNDER
COMPENSATION LAW
Harry A. Mackey, Board
Member, Says Expert
ence in Other States Re-
flutes Statement of Con-
tractors Attorney.

Harry A. Mackey. a member of the
Workmen's Compensation Board, uttered
today an emphatic denial of the state
ment made recently by Horace NJ. Schell.
an attorney that under the new work.
mems compensation act 1t would be to
the advantage of all companies TO en-
ploy only single men.
Schell made the startling statement be-
fore a meeting of the Contractors Asso-
citation of Philadelphia. He based his
assumption on the fact that the law pro-
vides that a compensation of 25 per cent,
of the salary of q man killed while at
work be paid to his widow by his em-
ployer and an additional 10 per cent. be
paid her for each child in excess of two
until 60 per cent. is reached.
"There is no question: said Mr..
Mackey that the law provides for a
greater compensation in the case where
the man who was killed was married and
had children. That is the essence of the
law. The State must look after the in
terests of women and children and there
Is no logical reason why an employer
should not have to pay more when they
have been deprived of their means OF
livelihood by an accident for which the
employer is responsible.
I'm theory it is all right to assume that
since the employer Is liable to greater
extent Or II ne lnSuTtS Ills lidDihtSs Nho
insurance company is liable to greater
extent in the case of the death of mar
ried employe that 1t will be cheaper for.
him to employ only single men and that
he will therefore do SO.
but that does not necessarily mean
that he will differentiate in that way.
People must bear in mind that the fact
that we have such law on the statute
books is Indicative of progress In the gen.
eral attitude in such matters
Consideration and responsibility for
human life is growing all the time, and
he must, indeed. be a small-minded and
petty employer who would not be ready
and anxious to indemnify dependents ana
who would willingly for the sake OF
few dollars make a discrimination whtch
would prove in the long run socially vi
clous and disastrous
''The tendency will rather be, when
the law becomes effective, toward greater
care in the prevention of accidents in
stead of an endeavor to make the cost
of accidents cheaper. And that is eX-
actly why the law was passed,
'raowever, to look at 1t from a purely
commercial standpoint, the experience
has been in other States where eompensa-
tion laws are now in force-and there are
some 80 of them-that no discrimination
In favor of single men has ever been
made. Statistics show that in the States
where such laws are effective and with,
in many cases. the compensation rate
higher, the railroads, to take the best
example, have on the average been forced
to pay out in compensation but an IN
crease of 1 per cent. of their entire pay
roll over what they had had to pay be-
fore the laws were enacted"
Mr.. Mackey, when asked what he had
to say about another statement of Schell
TO the effect that the State rates Of in
surance would be higher than those
charged by independent companies, said
that the rates for Pennsylvania had not
been fixed, but that In other States they
were as a rule lower