The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-01-14


the course of employment as a sub
stitute for the old liability acts, it
would be found in Bulletin No. 1855,
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the United States Department of La
Dor. The Bulletin presents the legis-
lation for the year 1914 and 1915, to-
gether with amendments to a num-
Der Of earlier laws, which in some
cases are so extensive as to necesst,
tate the reprinting of the entire law.
This Bulletin is in effect a supple
ment to Bulletin No. 1876, issued two
years ago as a complete compilation
up to that date of existing legisla-
ton in this field.
The legislation of the year 1914 in,
cluded three states: Kentucky, LOulsi-
ana and Maryland. One of these
laws, that of Kentucky, was declared
unconstitutional before it came into
operation. That of Maryland super
ceded an earlier statute reported as
unavoidable. The new laws Of 1915
cover eight states: Colorado, Indiana,
Maine. Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsyl-
vania, Vermont and Wyoming, be-
sides the territories of Alaska and
Hawaii. The legislation of 1914 in
cluded also a presidential order pro
vidng a compensation system for
employees of the Panama Canal and
the Panama railroad, while that of
the current year includes a similar
order extending the Federal COmpen-
sation Act of 1908 to workmen en-
gagged on or about the government
railway in Alaska. With the legis-
lation of these two years, 81 states
and the territories of Alaska and
Hawaii now have compensation laws,
A federal statute covers also about
one-fourth of the civilian employees of
the United States. All of this legis-
lation has been enacted since 1908,
and practically all of the existing
/ legislation in the states since 1910.
Of the new laws of 1914 and 1915,
one, that of Wyoming, must be class
ed as a compulsory insurance law,
whole those of Maryland and Okla
homa are compulsory compensation
laws. In the other states, eight in
number, the law permits the employer
to elect or reject the compensation
act. In case he rejects it, however,
he is deprived of the customary de-
lenses under the liability laws.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Some of the newer laws have GER
tain features which are of special in
terest and worthy of mention. The
Oklahoma statute, for example, ap.
plies only to cases of non-fatal acct
dents, while in Wyoming all awards,
whether for death or disability, are
in the form of lump sum payments
arbitrarily fixed by the statute with
out regard to the earning capacity of
the injured person. The Alaska stat
ute also provides for lump sum pay
ments except for temporary disabil-
ity. Legislation elsewhere has very
generally provided for periodical pay
ments graduated according to wage
loss, and this method is favored by
practically all authorities
Of the new laws of 1914 and 1915,
the Wyoming act is the least liberal,
the compensation for death being lin
tied to funeral expenses of $50 and
a maximum death benefit of $4,000
In comparison with this, the Colorado
statute provides for a maximum of
/ $500, while the maximum of the
Alaska statute is $4,000 In cases of
temporary disability the Colorado law
is more illiberal than any other, as
it provides for no compensation for
disabilities not extending beyond 8
weeks In the statutes of other states
the waiting time has usually been
except Colorado fixing longer per
iod.
In the legislation of 1914 and 1915,
special boards or commissions for adj
ministration continue to be prefer
red, the laws of Alaska and Wyom-
ing being the only ones enacted dur
ing 1915 which do not have this pro-
vision. In Maine, Maryland, Okla
homa, and Vermont the administra-
tive authorities are given no powers
other than those relating to the ad'
ministration of the compensation
acts. In Hawaii, county boards with
functions restricted to the compen-