Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-14
Yssstscs S~
Ps~~4yesonia
BY the Ex-Committccman

\ III W tIlC III
] Following a conference held last
night by counsel for the Workmen's s
Compensation Bureau, in Philadel-
phia, announcement was made that
plans are already under way for the
preparation of a bill to be intro
| duced into the Legislature which
| will provide for a complete reorgan-
ization of the bureau. The proposed
legislation will be submitted to Gov
.ernor Sproul and Attorney General
Schaffer, it was declared, and, after
receiving their approval, will be pre-
sented.
Briefly, the bill will provide for
the following changes: Taking the
Workmen's Compensation Bureau
out of the Department of Labor and
Industry and making it a separate
department; establishment of the
divisions of legal aid, medical aid
rehabilitation and re-education and
statistics and information.
1t was also announced that, under
the sweeping reorganization plans,
the Department of Labor and Indus
try; that the Bureau of Housing, now
in the Health Department., will be
made part of the Department of
Labor and Industry, and that the
Bureau of Hygiene will be taken
from the conrtol of the Department
of Labor and Industry and made q
division of the Department of
Health.
Among those who conferred on
the proposed legislation were Harry
A. Mackey, chairman of the Work
mems Compensation Bureau, and
Francis II. Bohlen and Isaac NJ.
Price, attorneys for the bureau.
Next week, Chairman Mackey an
nounced, he will confer with James
H. Maurer, president of the State
Federation of Labor, and the five
district presidents, and procure tnelr
Ideas on the proposed legislation.
Later, Mr.. Mackey will meet rep
resentatives of the employers, and
they VIII be given an opportunity TO
express their thoughts as to what
should be included in the bill.
When the conferences are con-
cluded," Chairman Mackey said.
the bill will be drawn and sub
mitted to the Governor and the At
torney General. When it comes from
them 1T will be an administration
measure. Governor Sproul has al
ready indicated that he is very
strongly of the opinion that the
Workmen's Compensation Bureau
should be separate department,
and that it should stand on its own
feet. o.
1T will be give-and-take propo-
sition, and l will maintain a neu-
tral stand. My own views are that
the bill should provide for a di-
vision of legal aid, so that the in.
terests of the injured man will be
taken care of. With. staff of at
torneys on hand to look after the
interests of the claimants, the latter
will come out of the cases with
nothing subtracted from the ver-
dict 1t will not be necessary to en-
ploy outside lawyers under this plan.
by having a division of medical
aid our own physicians can examine
the injured parties and thus settle
disputes as to the nature of the in
juries complained of. There physi-
clans could also follow up the re-
habilitation work. The division of
IEOH1 Te-euucaIlOn
would embrace the education of
crippled men along lines best suit
ed to the individual cases. The men
in this division would have charge
of certain courses of re-education
which would begin at the bedside of
the injured.
81 want to start this division along
moderate lines and develop it so that
two years from now we can go be-
fore the Legislature and show what
has been accomplished. 1t will not
be an extravagant proposition. OF
course, the division of statistics and
information will be used to dis
seminate information to the pub
lic." Four more referees are urged.
Banking Commissioner John s.
Fisher. who is in Pittsburgh look
ing after his first receivership, will
be the speaker at the meeting of the
bankers of this district on Wash
ington's birthday
New Castles council has broken
records for protracted ballots. 1t
took seventy-six ballots. to elect
James K. Love, who was a dark
horse.
General Richard Coulter. hav-
ing declined to run for Congress on
| the Democratic ticket in Westmore-
land. some of the people in that
section think the Democrats should
endorse ex-senator John NJ. Jami-
son, the Republican candidate.
The two senatorial vacancies
will be filled at elections on Feb
ruary 25.
Beaver Falls has advanced its
tax levy to fifteen and a half mills
| for improvements.
William Jennings Bryan Will
make series of speeches in north
ern counties shortly.
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