Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-03-23

Hutnlldl i-l'HeH.
permanent impairment of his earning
capacity: and. IN some cases, his death.
All of these nardships bring untold
suffering to the worker and to those
who are near and dear to him. Not
only the man who is injured suffers
but his wife and his children suffer
with him.
Financial Loss, Too
"Tn addition to the physical and
mental anguish of the worker and his
loved ones, there is distinct financial
loss to the worker, as well as to his
employer"
Commissioner Jaclxsons Ideas
Governor Brumbaugh then intro
duced Commissioner Jackson to the
conference. DIR. Jackson urged the
formation of safety organizations and
said that undoubtedly this would
prove the first important step toward
preventing accidents. He also sug-
gested the holding of safety and
health meetings which would include
the training of every man about a
plant from the president on down;
the safeguarding of all dangerous
places; the erection and posting of
danger signs; the disciplining of men
or officials who knowingly disregard
systems of the best character; and the
associating of safety organizations
with the Department of Labor and
Industry.
Commissioner Jackson also ex-
planned to the conference the various
divisions of his department and work
of each day by the use of charts
traced how each leads to the Cover
nor's office where results are always
looked for. The Commissioner said:
"A great reduction in accidents can
be obtained by earnest, active study
on the part of each person connected
with an establishment with the view
of training himself to see danger and
to avoid it with scrupulous care, both
for himself and for his fellow. The
suggestion and advice of the least re-
sponsible workman in the esta blish-
ment should be given the same
thoughtful and deterrent consideration
as suggestions made by a superinten-
dent of large pow er and control"
Gompcrs Makes Appeal
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor. was
the third speaker at the morning ses-
sion and he made an earnest plea for
cooperation which will help in pre-
serving the lives and limbs of work
ingmen. For twenty years" he said
attention has been given to the con-
either through negligence or lack of
interest little attention has been paid
to the conservation of human lives"
He declared that almost the entire
thought of the manufacture is to see
how quickly he can produce without
giving any thought to the loss of life
or limb which may be incurred in the
production.
Frequently" said Mr.. Gompers.
when our appeals have been ignored
it has been necessary to resort to
strikes and lockouts and | call atten-
tion to the fact that strikes and lock-
outs occur not in barbarous coun-
tries but in civilized countries only.
Perhaps strikes and lockouts are not
the best but they are only resorted to
when every other means of adjust
ment has been exhausted"
OveFwork n Cause?
Mr.. Gompers told of the efforts of
his organization to secure Safety
first" measures and how long a period
was required to secure the passage of
the uniform coupler law and the fight
for safety devices in shops, factories
and mines. The federation president
did not agree with the general thought
that most accidents are due to care
lessness. He says that the majority
of accidents are due to overwork and
he quoted extracts from the New
ork state compensation Boards re-
port TO bring out his point. That re-
port showed that there were more ac-
cidents after the fourth working hour
in the morning and the fourth work
ing hour in the afternoon than at anV
other time of the day and incidentally
he used this to impress upon the in
dustrial leaders the necessity of an
eight-hour workday Mr.. Gompers
praised the PENNSYLVANIA compensa-
tion law and took occasion to remark
that If it had not been for the COM
plete report which the law requires
no conference of accident prevention
would have been held to-day The
speaker also urged that conferences
be held between employers and en-
ployes and declared that meetings OF
this kind would help in a great meas