Semi-weekly herald., 1915-01-14

department with view of making
known all existing inefficiency and
lack of economy.
Many fields of inquiry suggest
themselves. AS the state has grown
demands have arisen for boards, bu-
reaus and commissions to perform
certain functions. Each need or i'm
agined need resulted in the creation
these needs have changed, ceased to.
be urgent and in many cases ceased
to exist; but the office remained. This
multiplicity of offices having differ
ent policies and covering the same
field has caused executive and admin
istrative authority to become more
and more decentralized, until at the
present time it is difficult, and some
times impossible, to execute unified
policy. After such a survey is made,
all duplication, lack of coordination,
unnecessary boards, bureaus and COM
missions should be eliminated and an
efficient, economical organization sub
stituted.
Workmcn's Compensation.
Complementary to these powers,
the commission should have authority
TO put into effect and administer a
system of workmen's compensation.
Long and hard-fought legal contests,
undoubtedly, have contributed much
to the bitterness existing between
employer and employe. To protect
himself the employer pays large sums
Of money to insurance companies,
| who In turn assume his liability, and
in order to maze profit can pay the
employe but & .raction of the amounts
so received.
The system o. workmen's compen-
alton, except in certain cases of seri-
GUS and willful misconduct, gives the
amploye a right against his employer
o a fixed and definite or easily as
certainable sum on the mere occur
ence of an accident in the course OF
he employment The amount of com.
| pensation is fixed according to the de-
,ree of injury or disability and ac
ording to the injured employees earn
ng ability and is not made later than
| 4 certain number of days after the
injury, thus furnishing funds to the
employe or his dependents whef' they
IRE most needed. 1t limits the en-
| ployer's liability, which is now unlim-
tied, in case of injury where death
loes not follow. 1t removes the dan
| ger of excessive verdicts and of in
| sufficient verdicts. The employe is
put to no expense in the collection OF
the amount Of compensation due. Ap-
peal may be made from the commits.
sion's ruling to the courts, but ex-
perience in the states where the law
is now in force shows that seldom is
appeal made. Workmens compensa-
ton relieves private and public shari-
ties from the burden of caring for in
jured workers and their dependents
relieves the court of much litigation
and tends in considerable degree to
remove the bitterness so frequently
following contests in the courts be-
tween employer and employe.
Budget.
1t is highly important that there
should be available in collected form
accurate statistics on the expense of
our state government. This legisla-
ture should pass law making it a
duty of the heads of every department
to file with the state treasurer, on
or before January LIST preceding each
legislative session, an estimate in de-
tail of the amounts required by their
respective departments for the bien-
nial period following. The state
treasurer should submit such esti-
mates to the committee on appropria-
tions for its information. Provision
should be made for the publication of
these estimates. The committee on
appropriations, having the treasurer's
estimate OF available revenue and the
estimates of expense for the biennial
period, would be greatly facilitated
in its work, and aid in preventing
over-appropriation. Publication of
these figures would inform the public
more accurately on the expense of its
state government.
Prohibition.
At the November election the peo-
pie decided that on January, 1916,
this state is to become dry The duty
now devolves upon you to carry out
the peoples will by appropriate and
adequate legislation. Great care must
be taken in preparing this law to
avoid legal difficulties and to make It
enforceable. If poor law is draft
pd Wbnlaeata avocint, ,pI ,1,.a1......4