Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-10-15
FARMERS GET BENEFIT
PROTECTED BY INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENT COMMISSION.
More Than Two Hundred Farmers
Take Advantage Of It, Thus Show
ing Their Interest.
(By Carle Abrams.)

vi OlCSOl alC COllluS u
realize that insurance for their work
menagainst accident is desirable
therefore the State Industrial Acci
dent commission has established
rate for different lines of farming OPP
erations under authority of Sectio1
81 of the Amended Act passed by the
last legislature and which became eff
fective July LIST. The great interest
manifested by farmers is shown by
the fact that up to date about 20C
farmers have availed themselves OF
the benefits of this act, although the
commission has up to this time been
so busy putting into operation the
new amendments to the law that no
effort has been made into operation
the new amendments to the law that
no effort has beenm ade to notify
farmers Of their privilege to take ad-
vantage Of the act. This information
is becoming widely disseminated and
has caused a number of unfortunate
ing the past few weeks. In a num-
ber Of cases men have been injured on
the farm and the employer has then
made application to come under the
act and sent in REMIT ances to cover
his premiums with the hope that by
so doing the injured man would be
cared for by the state. This, Of course,
is important as will be realized by all
readers. lit is similar to insuling a
building after the same has been
burned down and then expect to col
lect insurance on the building. Sim
ilarly great many applications have
come in from farm hands who have
been injured, for benefits under the
act. They thinking that as long as
they have not rejected the act they
are entitled to its benefits. However,
no protection can be extended to
workmen unless accepted by applica-
tion of the employer.
The rate fixed for farming opera
tions is general farming including all
operations incident thereto, 2 per cent
of the payroll. Threshing, clover hull
ing, hay and straw baling, 4 per cent
prune drying, ! per cent; wood cut
ting, 3 per cent; land clearing with
out blasting, 312 per cent; with blast
ing per cent; road work 3 per cent.
In addition to the above the en-
ployer is required to collect from the
workmen and remit with his own con-
tribution one cent a day from each
workman. In computing the amount
due the commission adds $15 per.
month for board when the men are
boarded. For instance, a farm hand
is paid $40 per month and board and
works 26 days, his wages would be 500
per month. The premium would be 2
per cent of $55 or $1.10 plus 26 cents
to be contributed by the workmen,
making total amount to be RENTED
to the commission of $1.36 for the
month. This is due and payable on
or before the 18th of the month fol-
lowing that in which the work is per-
formed.
Those farmers desiring to secure
the protection of this act may do so
by making application to the commits
sion for application blanks and a copy
of the law.
The protection afforded to both en-
ployer and workman is absolute. In
case the workman is injured in the
course of his employment, the COM
mission will pay all expenses for doc
tors bills, hospital bills, medicine,
etc., not exceeding $3.50 and IN addl-
ton compensate the workman for time
lost by paying him a portion of his
wages, not less than $50 per month.
Under no circumstances can he sue the
employer for damages on account of
injuries sustained as the money paid
by the commission is full compensa-
tion under the law for the injury.
This insures the employer absolute
protection from damage suits and pos
siblv from court costs and insres the
workmen of the payment of his eX-
penses and money on which to live
while injured. Workingmen s com
pensation is one of the greatest steps
in legislation. 1t is not only protee-
tion to the individuals. but it is
protection to society against injured
workmen who might become public
charges and who often do. 1t Is
protection to the families of injured
workmen against suffering and pow
erty and it is a protection to the
public in the way of taxes, because
one of the greatest costs of our sys-
TEN of government is court costs and
one of the greatest forms of court
costs is personal injury cases. Under
Oregon's present liability laws it has
become comparatively easy for inJur- /,
ed workmen to secure damages against
employers by bring suit. :
Lastly. state compensation is lnsur- |
ance conducted by the state without :
profit and the state appropriates SUI Q
fcient sums Of money to more than
paw all the expenses of operation, so
that every dollar collected from EN- t
sloyers and workmen alike is paid t
back directly to injured workmen In \
irss aid and for time lost. Numbers Il
IF farmers and a great many manu- t
Baeturers in time past have afforded v
themselves liability insurance from Il
insurance companies and in such cases
he amount received by the wOrkmen
NUAH