New-York tribune., 1919-03-20
Labor and Women
Lead Advocates of
Health Insurance
Bitter Fight OH State Meas
ure Before Senate Com
nnittee; Christian Scien-
tiststsJoin the Opposition
Staff Gnrrcsnoaadl

Staff Correspondence
ALBANY, March 19-Compulsory
health Insurance was championed by
the representatives of labor and wom-
ems organizations as we'll as, many
Senators at the hearing on the Daven-
port-Donohue bill this afternoon before
the Senate judiciary committee.
The assembly chamber was crowded
by advocates and opponents of the
bill before the hearing started. Bit
ter opposition was voiced by> mer-
chants, physicians, manufacturers and
representatives of fraternal organiza-
stions. Advocates declare that It will
be reported, favorably by the commit
Etee.ssThe. bill is supported by Cover
knon Smith,
Miss Mary Dreier, of the Women's
Joint Legislative Conference, and
President. James P. Holland, of the
State Federation of Labor, lead the
advocates:' They insisted that the legis-
latlon would be a great step forward
IN social reform. and would benefit en-
ployers as we'll as employees. Miss
Mary Wood, representing 100000 men,-
bers of the State Federation of Wom-
ems Clubs, said that the state is in
need of the physical regeneration that
would result from measures of this
sort.
I Employers Losing Money, He Says
\. Henry Alexander, New York
brush manufactures, said employers
are losing money by not paying more
a n hn Of boi ri
ers.
"The number of sick or ailing en-
ployes," he said, remaining at work
despite their physical disabilities, for
fear of losing earnings necessary for
their sustenance, is so large and their
productivity during such physical i'm
pairrnent is so reduced that in nume-
rous instances the employer is pay
ing 200 per cent wages against 40 per
cent efficiency"
Others who spoke for the bill were
State Industrial Commissioners James
M. Lynch, Mrs Mary Thompson of the
Womens Trade Union League; DIR.
Louis Nicoll, Director of the Bureau
of Preventable Diseases, of the New
York City Board of Health; John B.
Andrews, Secretary of the American
Association for Labor Legislation,
Miles r. Dawson, representing the
Nlty OluD, ALEXANDER Lambert, char
man of the Social Insurance Com
pany of the American Medical AS
Socation; Fritz Kaufman, New York
manufacturer, and John A. Lapp,
DIRECTOR of Investigations for the
Ohio Official Committee
Opponents of the bill attacked it as
un-American,' unsound and unconstitu-
.tional. Principal among them were
physicians. An amendment offered by
Senator Davenport provides that the
/ head Of the proposed bureau of health
insurance shall be a physician.
To Destroy Fraternitics, They Say
+ Mark a.. Daley representing the
associated manufacturers and MGR
chants of New York State. protested
against the bill because of it's cost
Ila. said it would be near $4,000 900
: Frederick Hitchcock, member Of the
association, declared that the bill woul 4
force employers to pay for the sick
NESS of workers, which in many cases
might be contracted by intemperance
or licentious living. Others declared
1T would degrade the profession of
medicine and destroy the fratcrnal
beneficiary system.
Albert Gilmore, of New York, rep
resenting tho Christian Science Com
mittce "on Publication, said that the
Christian Scientists were against the
bill, because it compels them to go to
a physician to be declared i'll before
they can receive benefits for which
they are compelled under the. law, to
nav