The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-06-15
WELFARE WORK.

The other day in Harrisburg, Pa, was held a conference of surgeons and physicians employed in the in- dustries of the state. On the whole the great ploa that went up was for better protection of the lives and health and welfare of tho workers. But they were not unanimous. One physician, Dr. Alfred Stenglc was positive that it is impossible to work men at high point of efficiency if slow pcrboiling and intcnce heat is incident to the employment. Repre- sentatives from the steel companies couldn't see it that way of course, because the parboiling and intense heat is certainly commonly incident al to employment by those concerns. They said it was not tho heat that made the men tumble over. But be- cause they lived in dirty homes end did not hire skilful chef to cook their food. Besides as newspaper report has it, they argued that they were mostly foreigners and foreign CTS can stand ell kinds of heat. An other physician denounced this view and insisted that as the heat in creased the shift hours should be shortened.
 It was a very simple matter that the physicians and surgeons discus sed. It looks mighty good on paper and one might easily run away with the notion reading the report that the conference was brought about for the purpose of making human beings better, more comfortable, healthier and happier. But that is a long ways from the fact.
 The question under consideration was this: did safety and sanitation in industry pay. Did it increase the efficiency of the workers? Was it cheaper to inctal safety and sani- tary equipment or let the workers perish? It is a fact of course that the slaughter in industry was recog- nized as appalling. This year it Is reaching record heights due to high pressure labor. In the state ot Pennsylvania since January 1 to May 1 there were 99,52S accidents, about a thousand of which were fla tai. This record compares favor ably with the German smash on Verdun and makes the general run of war comparatively safe in rela- ton to industrial pu suits.
 The fact is that there is a grow ing concern among the people ot the state on account of the ever in creasing number of industrial dere- licts. You cant very well destroy outright the exceptionally diseased nor the industrially maimed. You are put to the expense of main- taining them. And compensation and other acts are an annoying ex- pense these days. So it is reason able enough that the medical men should confer as to the wisest policy in industry: waste of human life or its conservation by costly and per haps hampering safety and health equipment.
 The fact also is that the State government had promoted this con- ference because as Dr. John Price Jackson said too many men were being killed in the mills, too many women were being worn out in the factories and too many children ground up in the whirl of industry
 That was all mighty expensive. It was all very well for a steel company to daily main man, to weekly kill man, but that put the company to no expense while 1t cost the state quite bit. And the state had to come back with compensa- tion talk and insurance chewing the-rag and endless taxation devices to cover that expense. Wherefore it was seemly that the companies responsible for the slaughter should be invited like good folks to figure it out and see if they couldn't run their industries without such deli berate slaughter.
 It is very annoying of course that the companies should be subjected to such a probe. It didn't seem to be taken for granted that the com panies had the right to kill and in-