The Coconino sun., 1919-01-17

ed Dy ulSc0nJenL ana ldDOr tfOuOleS.
 With this in view. l wish to advise the creation of an industrial depart ment under the direction of an indus trial commissioner. This official should be a man specially qualified by training and temperament to CO., operate with the representatives of both labor and capital in the settle ment of questions that would other wise result in strikes, and in the ere ation and maintainance of wholesome and desirable conditions of employ ment. In his official capacity it would be his duty to safeguard labor and at the same time protect the in- dustries of the state from unjust bur- dens and demands.
 Practically all of the conflicts be- tween employer and employe are avoidable. It requires only that labor be sure that an appeal for social jus tice will receive immediate and fair attention to destroy the old idea that the only way to secure results is through force. It requires only that the employer be be assured of the permanency of condition that may be agreed upon for him to be willing to make concessions that otherwise would be bitterly opposed.
 Workmen's Compensation Law
 After careful study of the sub ject, 1 am convinced that a proper workmen's compensation law is an &C., tual economic necessity both for the betterment of social and financial con- ditions of the workers and also for insuring better conditions for em- ployers. Yet I would not now recom- mend action on the part of the legis- lature in light of the emphatic nega- tive vote at the last election did not feel that large portion of those reg istering their opposition to the meas ure proposed at that time did so, not because they opposed a workmen's compensation law, but because they considered the particular law submit ted to be undesirous in various par ticulars. There were others, too, who were opposed to having all the details of a workmen's compensation law written into the constitution.
 The results insured by a properly constructed workmen's compensation law are as follows:
 1. Assurance of immediate, eff cient medical attendance for the in jured. ,....s..
 2. To prompt average justice.
 3. To operate to prevent acci- dents. .-.
 4. To eliminate litigation.
 5. To give compensation without expense to the employe.
 How the problems of the wage earn CT have been made easier by the workmen's compensation law has been made evident by the reports of the different states and particularly by report of the bureau of statistics of the United States department of la bor, concerning the conditions in 1915 of the families of workers who had been accidentally killed. Comparisons were made of the conditions in Ohio, where there was a compulsory law; in Connecticut, where the law was elective and Pennsylvania, where there was at the time, no compensa- tion law.
 Road Department
 One of the most insistent needs of the state is a consistent, well planned highway system, placed upon a stable basis so that there will be no proba- bility of radical changes as the result of state elections held each two years. It is also important that the estab- lishment of the system of highways and the building of them should be free from the undesirable pressure frequently brought through the per- sonal interests of individual county supervisors. The present system is faulty in that there not only is no system but because there can be no system since any plan for roads rest ed upon the consent of the boards of supervisors of the IA counties, and the plans of each county may change at
 I would suggest that the full con- trol of our state highways be placed in the hands of a road commission consisting of five persons serving without pay. The term of office should be five years, the appoint ments being so regulated that there would be only one member of the board changed each year. This would insure permanency of the commission and would free it from the possibility of having its plans and organization changed at each gubernatorial cleo tion. The commissioners should em- ploy the state engineer and have full authority over the state highway de- partment, thus taking that appoint ment out of politics. The salary of the state engineer should be fixed at figure insuring the best road en- 0in aaripn tolopt