The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-19

which will remove it or reduce it greatly will be the greatest blessing the world has seen. I have no doubt that health insurance will be the strongest agency which can now be invoked. It will operate in precise ly the same manner that workman's compensation acts have operated. namely to stimulate those on whom the expense falls to remove the causes of that expense. Employers will not only try to afford sanitary working conditions, healthful working hours, with time for recreation and living wages but will try to educate the em- ploye or encourage and will try to induce the state to improve the sur roundings and health conditions as to pure food, etc. In the same way the employe and the state will be stimulated.
 "I wish to particularly emphasize the fact to workingmen that while they are stressing the importance of increased wages. they should receg- nize that health insurance will work in this direction first as an equivalent of increased wages, second to ap in-
 direct effect in increasing the earn- ing power. by decreasing the amount o. sickness and third through the in- creased desire of the employer to in crease the wages he pays in order to decrease the sickness of his employe
 by which he loses in so many ways.
 This effect will be far greater than one might naturally assume because
 of the immense room for improve
 ment which Is at present unsuspected by the ordinary employer as well as the employe and is known only to thosA who have made a special study of health subjects.
 "It is frequently stated that in Con- necticut much industrial poisoning and many cases of occupational dis
 eases occurring among wage earn CTS in Connecticut are not being re-
 ported under the State Occupational Disease Reporting law. Health in- surance would lead to fuller report
 ing just as workingmen's compensa..
 ton led to the first real accident statistics in the country. And tlus
 health accounting will be the first toward health economy"
 Jonathan Godfrey told of the law from the employers standpoint. He
 said: T should like to put before you a few thoughts on the matter from | some explanations concerning this
 law, which may increase the publicity
 of the matter and tend to such q
 hearhfu1 disctssion that so far as
 possible error could be eliminated and legislation. as scientifically cor rect as possible. placed upon our
 statute books.
 At the outset I wish to deny that I
 hold any brief from the great body Of employers in New England; but from personal knowledge ard personal con- versations with many of them oa this subject, feel can safely represent tEem without fear of contradiction. Tt might seem to many that the time was not suspicious for attempt ing to interest employers in any mat ter relating to the social welfare of employees, a time when strikes were sporadically breaking out here threatening to tie up the carrying trade of this great country; and there, proposing to cut off the food supply of OUT largest city. if their demands were not instantly accepted.
 We should not lose sight of the fact, however, that controversies be- tween employers and their workmen regarding wages and hours of work are always things of the moment, which eventually are taken care of by an inexorable economic law. "This great principle of compul-
 sorry health insurance Is not a matter of to-day only. but also for to-mor-
 row and the future.
 "How does the employer look at the question of compulsory health in-
 surance for his employees
 "What difference will it make to him? What sacrifices must he make? S"What return will he receive? Evidently from what we have heard this evening. it will be greatly
 to the advantage of the employee We can easily see that it will be beneficial to society and the state
 being a shifting of part of the pres
 ent burden of expense in caring for the dependent poor over to the car riers of this insurance.
 'But how will 1t affect the em- ployer?
 What will he gain out of 1t? What is there in it for him? Employers usually owe much of their success to the practice of econ- omy. Economy has become a watch
 word with them, because frequently gained by hard and bitter ex- perience. It is the. yartstick with
 which they measure the failure or success of any new undertaking Will
 this proposed legislation tend, toward economy or not? Will one class of American workmen be taxed in favor of anothe1 class? Will that un- American doctrine be incorporated which teaches large portion of our American citizens, that takes away from one and gives freely to another is desirable?
 we can readily see that this is not proposed in this law. Compulsory health insurance teaches economy
 and tends to check extravaganza. It
 does not take from one and give to another, for all are benefited and all ltontribute. ,....@ .s L., "The weekly payments by the em- ploye lead him to study the subject,
 to conserve his health and that of his
 family. The employer soon begins 1 to see that proper sanitary appoint
 ments and hygienic surroundings lower his share of the insurance con- tribution by decreasing the amount of sickness. , ''He also will soon benefit by the in- creased efficiency shown By his work men, as we are told that ten per cent of the New England employees are suffering from preventabie disease, resulting in loss of earning power.