Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-04-18
IS MADE
ON INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENT BOARD
Briefs Charge Compensation
Act Unconstitutional, In
valid and Imperative

: Charging that the Workmen's Com
pensation Act Is unconstitutional. In
valid and imperative; that the board
OF Industrial accidents is not a fair
and impartial body. and that one. OF
its members, r. E. Steere, is sdisquali-
fled. biased. prejudiced and whollx
unfit to serve on II, George A. Da-
Wis and his fellow. attorneys J. w.
Thompson and Charles s. Davis, filed
briefs today in circuit court on mat
tiers of law intended to be argued"
The two eases used to bring the
matter, before the court are those OF
John ]. Carroll against the Marconi
Wireless Company Of America, and
Edgar T. Anderson against the Hawai-
ian Dredging Company. Both are
damage suits.
1t is alleged that the Workmen's
Compensation Act is IAN attempt to
fix and regulate the fees and COM
pensation Of the officers of this court,
and the supreme court of the territory
of Hawaii that it is AN attempt to
pervert the Independent administers
ton of justice and impedes the adj
ministration of Justice
F. E. Steere, member of the board,
is attacked in both briefs. The Car
roll brief declares that the board OF
industrial, accidents is not a fair and
impartial board, and at least one or
its members, to wit, F. E. Steere. is
disqualified. Is biased, prejudiced and
wholly unfit to be q member Of the
said board, and his continuance on
said board is a.disgrace to the admin.
Eistration Of justice and contrary to
law.
The Anderson brief declares that
81. E. Steere, a member Of said board,
is in the employ sd under the con.
troll of the Henry Waterh0use Trust
Company, a Hawaiian corporation
and by his acts as a member of said
board was and is wholly disqualified
under Section 81 of the Organic Act
by the law of the land from being a2-
pointed to or sitting upon the board
as a member thereof, said Henry Wat
erhouse Trust Company having "a Pc
cuniary interest, being the agents OF
accident insurance companies and the
defendant corporation herein being in.
sured and protected from loss. ana
also that. said accident Insurance com
pany insures defendant and other en-
ployes against any and al damages
or costs incurred by reason OF iitiga-
ton under this act, and otherwise, and
further that said F. E. Steere, q menu
Der of said board. requested the plain
tiff herein and by repeated acts tried
to force and coerce the plaintiff here
In from continuing to have the attorr
ney Of record herein, or any other at
torney to prosecute. said Claim. as a p
pears from the affidavits on file here
In tn this action. :
bold and shamefaced."
Section As Of the compensation act
lis declared ITO be- p bold and shame
faced attempt to usurp the powers Of
the territory and to degradesan hon.
orable profession and make.it subser-
Went and under the control of the In
dnstrial Accident Board provided for
in said act and in this case to p. Is,
Steere and his associates
In signed affidavit Lum Kee. clerk
for Attorney Davis, asserts that the
Mafconi Wireless Company Is a. for
eign corporation and is not incorpor-
ated under the laws of Hawaii"
He relates having visited the rooms
OF the industrial board, being told
there by. the secretary of the. board
that complaint had been filed with
the board by Carroll, but that no time
for d hearing had been set. The COM
plant is alleged to have been filed on
October %, 1915.