The Garland City globe. (Garland, Utah) 191?-1925, 1918-10-31
.LEG|SLAT|NG AGAINST
THE UTAH FARMER
Proposed Plan to Have State MonopoI-
lie the Workmen's Compensation
Business Against the Best
Interests Of the People.

Appeals are being made to taxpay-
ers throughout the Spte to take up
a campaign against the proposed plan
to have the state monopolize the
Workmen's Compensation business Of
the state and exclude all private COM
panies from operating here. Business
men generally are strongly opposed 10
the plan as being not only against the
best interests of the people aud bust
ness interests generally, but also as
being extremely dangerous In prin-
ciple. II Is pointed out that other
states have had disastrous experiences
with the plan and that at present two
states, West Virginia and Washington,
have deficits In excess of 100000 as
result of their experiences.
The funds Of the state, available for
carrying on the insurance business, IL
Is urged, are not sufficient to provide
adequate safeguards against disaster,
either to worknen, employers or the
state itself The statement Is made
that such disaster as that which &C.
Cured at Scofield n few years ago
would not only bankrupt the present
state insurance fund, but would also
leave an enormous debt for someone
to pay. In addition there would he n
great hardship worked on the widows
and orphans of the killed and injured
men while funds were being gathered
from some source To pay the claims III
II were found possible to raise such
funds. The state itself assumes no
responsibility for paying such claims,
and when the insurance fund IL eX.
hausted some other way, not explained
In the new plan, must be found to
meet the debt. One single company
now insurng workmen In Utah has
assets more than n hundred times the
amount of the state insurance fund,
and ns all companies are compelled by
law 10 sell insurance at tile same rate
US the state cherges and 10 give ex.
actly the same benefits the state gives,
those who have studied the mntter see
great disadvantage to all concerned.
Prominent people In the agricultural
sections are becoming aroused to the
situation as they begin TO realize that,
although farmers are not benefited or
concerned In any way In workmen's
compensation insurance, rs farms ana
small businesses are not covered by
the law, the expenses OF conducting
the business are paid out OF general
taxes. This means that II anybody Is
to benefit by the plan they are TO be
benefited ut the expense OF the far-
mer.
As the scheme, II II Is extended To In
clude all the business In this class be-
ing done In the state. will greatly In
crease the expenses OF operations, In
salaries. office expenses, travelling ex-
pense. etc, to be paid out of general
taxes and at the same time deprive
the state OF the revenue now coming
from the taxes paid by the insurance
companies, IL Is considered Inevitable
that state taxes must be Increased.
Prominent farmers have expressed
themselves us being emphatlcally OPP
posed to the plan, as II viii Impose
additional tax burdens upon farmers
who are already heavily taxed with
out giving them any benefits whatso-
ever In return.
The Democratic party has been In
duced To insert a plank In the state
platform declaring IN favor OF the plan
for state monopoly and has pledged
the next state legislature to enact
such a law. Those who are opposed
To Il are appealing to the people, not
as n political proposition, as both
Democrats and Republicans are active
ly opposing 1t, but strictly as a bust
ness measure, to send Republican rep
resentatlves to the legislature to pre-
vent the enactment of the law. with
the state already nearly million dol
lars In debt, II Is urged. aside from
the question OF increased taxes at
time when people are already taxed
TO the limit, that II Is dangerous and
unwlse for the state to undertake
business that has proven so disastrous
to other states.
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