The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-06-19
A SAMPLE
"VERACITY"
KOSITZkY AND HALL HOLD UP
FEE CONTRACTOR FOR CON- .,
PUTTING SCALE

PUTTING SCALE
The tremendous task of computing
the varying premium rates for the
Workmen's Compensation bureau is
almost completed, and states accident
insurance system will be in full opera
tion July 1. Each kind of business
operates under different conditions,
and for each one special rate has
been adjusted.
The work Of setting these risk rates
so that they would be fair to the en-
ployers and also not entail any short
age in the states insurance fund has
been executed by Emil E. Watson in
his statistical laboratory at Colum-
bus, Ohio. Mr.. Watson contracted to
ascertain the rates for all North Da-
kota for the fee of $4,000. For the
same service he charged the state Of
Idaho $4,000. The service is one that
can only be done by highly trained
experts who possess every facility in
the way Of intricate computing ma
chinery and have large corps of
helpers. In Mr.. Watson's work on the
North Dakota compensation fund as
many as Is assistants have been en-
ployed.
zee IS Held Up
The first half of Mr.. Watson's fee
is now due and has been held up by
State Auditor Kositzky with the as
sistance Of Secretary of State Hall
and Attornel General LANCER, as men,
bers of the state auditing board. While
this obstruction is undoubtedly for po-
litical purposes, it might result in SER
ious blocking of the system by which
workingmen who are injured at their
employment are protected against des-
titution.
A Sample of Veracity
Kositzky is now out on the stump
attacking the administration of Gov
ernor Frazier and the legislation pass
ed by the farmer legislature. Al
though he is seldom on the job at the
capitol, he makes great show Of be-
ing the watch dog of the treasury. He
tells his audiences sof extravagances
of the labor insurance bureau and
states that they are paying their 'actu-
ary $1,000 a month and he makes it
appear that Mr.. Watson will draw
$21 900 a year. This is done in an
effort to alarm voters over the ques-
tion of taxation, and is in line for
veracity with the other statements Of
Kositzky on the same subjects.
The Actual Worth
"The salary of Mr.. Watson will be
81 800 a year, and not 81 300 a month"
says L. J. Wehe, member Of the
Workmen's Compensation bureau. "He
will be a most valuable man to the
state, and we will be able to engage
him so cheaply only through the fact
that he is engaged in similar work
for the compensation funds Of Ohio
and Idaho.
"The computing bureau, Of which
Mr.. Watson is the head, contracted to
establish the rates for premiums Of
the North Dakota system for the sum
of $4,000. This work is almost done.
July Mr.. Watson will take a posi-
ton as consulting actuary at $4,000
a month.
Pays to Start Right
"In starting any new thing it al
ways pays to start right. BY engaging
Mr.. Watson and his corps Of assist
ants to figure our premium rates, the
state has put it's fund on a solid bas-
is and will save thousands Of dollars
each year. The federal government
saved over a million dollars by en-
gaging Mr.. Watson to examine its
compensation insurance premiums. AT
the beginning Of the war, the govern
ment took out accident insurance for
it's war workers. It let the business
If insuring them to private COM
les, who charged double fee. Final
" the officials suspected they were
being robbed and they called in M.
Watson to 60 over the rates. He d1s-
covered that the private insurance
companies had been collecting 81 300
600 more than they were entitled to,
by the nature Of the risk. As . re-
suit Of his report, Uncle Sam already
has got back $1,o00,0oo and he is at
ter the other 100000.
tsThis is Mr.. Watson who is estab-
fishing. the rates that will be in force
in North Dakota. He has always
fought the graft Of the private insurs
ance companies and can be relied upon
to give the state insurance system the
best possible advice"
K1RN-BRANDER