Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-05
2ENT POLITICS
m LABOR QUERY
ON INSURANCE
c.sualty Men Charge AT
tempt to Make Federation
a Catspaw
coupuLsoRY ACT HINTED

couprJLSoRY ACT HINTED
,hat politicians are using labor
th>.-,.vv 10 gain control OF the state
e. asafIon FUND and the FUNDS or insur.
to.. F.,,,,,an aniee so that they can create Joos
~ snesscchnen were made today IN casualty
.-.,rance company circles ,...
n.nl ne-.. charges are based upon letter
..ls ,y,cIaIs OF casualty companies allege
rnsa ..vt nv the Pennsylvania Federation OF
-. ~ every state legislator. The letter
frlows:
,y.svr,vAN1A FEDERATION OF
LABOR
,.~,.,.tive Question List. April 1918.
osr~tIon No e--Would you help 10
compulsory compensation act
.s,og II obligatory on all employers
!, insure their employees In the state
.,tmen.s Insurance fund, raising the
eompensation scale TO sixty-si1 ana
y w,dows the sum Of thirty dollars per
-.,h fas IN New York State) till
<..,h or rcmarriage. and increasing the
.er,cd Of payments for disability by at
rast twenty-five weeks?
~ R.--ln the event OF no answer
,r,x YOU BY April 20 II will be as
s,mrd that you are to be classed-as OPP
poscd 70 US.
CASUALTY MEN SCENT COERCION
IN his letter, according to s. II. Pool,
,,se president OF the State Insurance Fed
srstion. the casualty companies scented an
.,,.rut by the Pennsylvania Federation Of
rshor 10 coerce the State legislators into
smrpdlng the compensation act so as TO
-. n obligatory on all employers OF labor
- insure and to insure in the State Fund
e,lv- and they concluded that such legisla-
IN would naturally put them out Of
business.
when the above letter was shown to
william Young, Jr., a member OF the State
Iudustrial Board and president of Typo
sraphlcal Union No 2, he said he did not
know how such letter came to be sent out,
IN as far as he knew II did not express
N, sentiments of organized labor in the
STATE OF Pennsylvania. Labor" he said,
.azs no quarrel with the insurance COM
psnles. The compensation act seems to be
sorklnr very smoothly. There is no desire
an the part Of those who are directing the
securing Of business by the State to be ag-
xsssye TO the point OF interfering with
isrtimate business of the stock and mutual
conpsnies The fact that the companies
have N, to the present collected more than
slo,ooo.ooo (not s25,0oo,o0o as enormously
stated in premiums on this business this
rear. while the State has collected only
AIuul ttVVfVVV - otihNiehe PAOSA VI thio
statement-"
BUREAU HAMPERED AT START
John Price jackson, Commissioner OF
Labor and Industry, said that to properly
understand the situation it was necessary
TO 70 back to the inception OF the State
Workmens Compensation Bureau.
AT that time" said Mr.. jackson, the
bureau found when It started to do busi-
ness that It had no experience to fall back
On: Il had no rates; 1t had no figures OF
any kind on which to base an equitable
nansgsment.
'Ths casualty companies which had been
foing business for years had the experience
en which they based their rates and from
iksm we got their figures, but we had no
nszrs Of knowing II these rates were fair
lnd Just. 1t was then decided to take these
fewes and see how they would work out
b sctual practice
shortly after the organization of the
State Bureau the casualty companies had
meeting at which they adopted universal
rates for the various classes OF risks and
aso discussed many other important mat
ttfs connected with the conduct of the
business. We had an expert at that meeting
and through him we gained much valuable
incarnation which we have used to ad-
vantage.
As a matter Of fact the State workmen's
Compensation Bureau is an experimental
station from the working of which we are
gaming valuable information all the time
ss TO actual cost, how quickly relief can
reach those for whom II is intended
which Is the most important part of the
tuslness-the reasons for delays, etc.
We found at first a great many cases
hanging fire, especially among those indus
ulAi companies that carried their own in
nfPnce. We had 100 inspectors out search
nk ior complaints and investigating the
sauses' We advertised extensively all over
ne state with a view OF ferreting out any
A'uses. and while we found many at first
~ also FOUND that a large number OF them
we're the result of an imperfect under
HsnainE OF the law, or of carelessness In
nNkine reports. Indeed, we found a num-
~ OF cases where compensation was al
80, being paid and no report had been
We made general cleanup and since
esh We have had very few complaints
shume we are gaining through expert.
some very remarkable information
E nave reduced the cost of obtaining busi-
sss.s ~ tnat only small part of the fund
ssvv,voV set aside TO defray the overhead
h7es OF the bureau has been drawn
ss,', a re are getting better ideas of the
esi cost OF the insurance In the various
..ses Of risks; we are piiing up valuable
ucs that will be very useful In the
.,ss Already we have a handsome sur
'o.srd dividends after putting away
sSp pis reserves required by the law.
h,.. as TO this apparent antagontsm Of
70 the companies. think II arose
-. from the delinquencies OF the compa-
rs-,.' ~ tne besnning, but these are all prao-
~ny corrected now. NY own opinion IA
1Irs..'s present the opposition from labor is
usss ~ against the self-insurlng corpora
nsis,s, -nlcn a carry their own insurance IL is
h.nrss.h .hat the companies desire that their
81 49, os should cost them as little as possi-
nssssa. ns. me great objection OF labor 70 their
\ Eas a. - that they discriminate too much
M me matter Of employment
s.,s. stands TO reason that the big steel
<<anles. ~ for instance, would give ths
1hvse.as.ee 70 big. husky fellows who are
"a sas perfect or nearly so, as with
.sa,',a men the risk OF accident is reduced to
I.r@n r@nom. mum. but It is considered an EN-
sas asalnst good, frst-class worlxmen
hot quite measure up 10 the
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