Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-02-15
COMPENSATION ACT
STATE NECESSITY
Dependents Commission Strongly
Recommends Its Enactment in ="
Its Big Report
WOULD CHANGE THE LAWS
Constructive Legislation and
System of General Dispensaries
Is Suggested

A workmen's compensation act Is
declared TO be Il necessity for the State
| of Pennsylvania in the comprehensive
ireport filed by the State Dependents
Commission, which has been making
a study of the whole system of taking
care of the unfortunate for the last
| eighteen months. The summary of
the report issued last night strongly
urges the enactment of a compensa-
tion law as means of cutting down
many claims upon the bounty of the
State. Another important recommen-
| dation is for a series of general dis
pensaries.
| The commission was composed OF
Colonel p. G. Boyle, Oil City; judge
Isaac Johnson, Media Thomas J.
! Lynch, South Bethlehem, and DIR.
Samuel G. Dixon, State commissioner
| OF health; DR.. Frank Woodbury., the
state lunacy expert cooperating with
/ them. The report is one of the best
of the kind ever made in the country
land may be summarized as follows:,
| The report of this body outlines n
constructive policy in many directions.
1.-THE Commission on Dependency,
created under the provisions of an act
of the 1913 Legislature, to make in
jVestigation of the care, education and
support by this Commonwealth of
those who are by accident, misfortune.
sickness or disease, dependent upon
the generosity of the citizens of Penn
| sylvania, has just finished its report.
| The recommendations are intended
to put the charitable and correctional
administration of the State upon the
most modern and scientific basis. The
report deals with fundamental prin-
] ciples, which, If followed by the con-
structive legislation proposed by the
commission, should place Pennsylvania
| in the front rank of States in charita-
I h1a and pnrrnptinna1 work The
mission is a unit regarding the promo
tion of that public spirited generosity
which has always characterized Penn
sylvania. 1t does not believe in the
subtle and dangerous encroachment of
the socialistic program of social re-
construction upon the initiative of pri-
IVate philanthropy. Exclusive State aid
and control of charity is deprecated,
except in certain fields where expert
Ience has already demonstrated the su-
perior economy and efficiency of such
administration. Among such are the
care of the insane, the feeble-mtnded,
lepileptic and inebriates.
| The States Wards
Perhaps the most important reform
urged by the commission is that the
State should take over the entire care
and control of the insane, feeble
minded and epileptic. Thece form Il
unit group of dependents requiring
specialized care, best attainable
through complete State control. At
present the State and county divide
these duties State control, the COM
mission believes, will ensure equal
benefits to all patients; permit of 81
better system of classification; facilt-
ltate transfers and generally promote
the most efficient methods of Voca-
tional treatment and medical and
business administration" The COM
mission does not make any criticism
of the present dual system. 1t simply
Regards this as inadequate. 1t recon-
Imends State care as necessary in Or
der that this group of dependents may
receive equal and adequate treatment,
no matter where any individual need
ing it may come from within the
State.
The poor law administration of the
State is declared in need of revision.
There are at present LOO laws on the
statute books, 500 of which are local
and special in their application. There
are 100 poor districts and eighty aims
houses in the siXty-seVen counties of
the State. This tends towards duplt-
cation of agencies, heavy overhead
lcharges, and "a chaotic conglomeration
of legal confusion" which does not
make for scientific, economical or
even the humane treatment of the in
digent poor and aged within the State.
THE commission urges that the county
be made the unit of administration;
the abolition of directors of the poor,
Imposing their duties upon the county
commissioners; and expresses the hope
that ultimately a system of district
almshouses, the districts to be COM
posed of contiguous counties. be de-
vised to deal with the dependent poor.
JaiIs Condemned
1.-The present county Jail system is
an expensive and inadequate method
of dealing with the criminal class"
SAYS the commission, which urges that
lit be replaced by a system of district
industrial farms where prisoners
should be made to work at healthful
and profitable employment instead OF
living in ignorance and idleness. The
present county Jail should be a place
of detention. In connection with this
subject the commission strongly urges
the abolition of the so-called short
sentence, and the substitution of an
indeterminate sentence. and the FUR
lther extension of the principles of pro-
baton and parole. At present many
short-term prisoners are only COM
muters."
The commission very strongly rec
ommends the placing of all dependent
and delinquent children under the
control of the juvenile courts, which
should have greatly enlarged powers
of supervision over their care, educa-
tion and treatment. The many excel
lent existing child caring institutions
ISnOuId DC retained as auNllldGleS Ol lne
juvenile courts. but should act un-
der their direction in the vast work OF
dealing with this large and increasing
class, whose care and education Is of
such vital consequence to the future
welfare of the Commonwealth.
General Dispcnsaries
The most far-reaching recommen-
dation which. the commission makes
with regard to the care of the sick is
the extension of the dispensary work
now carried on bv the State Depart
/ ment of Health. At present these dis
pensaries (of which there are 115) are
, exclusively for the diagnosis and treat
ment of tubercular patients. The
commission urges that the dispensar-
les be made to serve such dependent
persons as may wish to make use OF
| their expert aid in the diagnosis and
, treatment of any disease whatsoever.
This would make the dispensaries
, serve the whole State in way that
would complete the comprehensive
service which the Department of
Health is so splendidly rendering TO
the people of the Commonwealth
HLI D.. a.