The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-01-03
IMPORTANT REFORMS
FOR MINI. LABOR
Politicians Will Grant Workers De-
mands to Weaken Farmer-Labor
Alliance. $50
BY v. E. Michel

10y v. Il. M1C1l6l
st. Paul, Minn.-Within eight
months after the Minnesota Fedora
ton of Labor officially entered Min
nesota politics as a body, it will Sc
cure from the next legislature consid-
cradle of the legislation which labor
demanded in the platform on which il
entered the political arena.
The record set by Minnesota labo-
unions is not being equaled by any of
the several other states of the Union,
where labor had found it necessary to
enter politics and demand legislative
reforms. But there is a sound reason
for the unusual alacrity with which
Minnesota's reactionaries yielded to
the demands of the laborites.
A political amalgamation had been
formed between organized workers
and organized farmers in Minnesota.
1t is the apparent plan of the reac-
tlonaries, who have always controlled
the government of the state, to kill off
the menace constituted by this farm
er-labor amalgamation. To accor,-
plish this, they would give to Labor
some of the things labor wants. They
figure that they can fight the farmers
better if they can divorce their ally
labor.
THE IMMEDIATE PROGRAM
When labor in Minnesota entered
the political arena four demands were
made. The first of these was for an
amendment to the state. working
mems compensation act, providing for
state insurance rather than insurance
handled by private surety companies.
Another demand is for the institution
Of state health insurance. The other
two are for "pay when due" law and
zone days rest in seven" law.
Enactment Of the latter, two laws
are deemed almost a certainty, since
they do not contain an economic
hcic." Their passage will not antag-
onize any particular interests and it
will be considered good business to
make a sacrifice hit" by permitting
this legislation, if it will wean the
"labor strength away from the "dan-
gerous" farmer element, which de-
mands reforms that hit at the roots of
monopolistic profit. These two laws
are explained by their title. One re-
quires that discharged or resigining
wori-men be paid what is due them
when they leave, the job, instead of
their being forced to wait for the next
regular payday to get their checks.
The other law requires that one days
rest in seven be given.
STIFF FIGHT ON INSURANCE
The other two labor demands, how
ever, hit at the insurance monopoly
and it is apparent that they will be
fought by expensive Hobbies of the or
ganized insurance men of the state.
Some eastern insurance capital is ex-
pected in the state to help defeat
these measures, and their passage is
not quite so certain.
Since the Inauguration of the COM
pensation act in Minnesota the actual
payment of indemnities has been
largely in the hands of insurance
sharks. Instead Of the employer pay
ing the injured man direct, the en-
p1oyer pays insurance companies a
regular premium, in lieu of which the
insurance company pays the injured
workman. Instead of being willing
to paw injured workmen, the insur-1
ance companies have used every pos
sible loophole discenible to their
brilliant and trained legal stats to
contest payments.
EXPERIENCE OF OHIO
Labor wants the state to do this
insuring. 1t would have law passed
permitting the state to assess employ
ers seeking insurance regular
monhly premium. The state would
pay indemnities when workingmen
were injured. An additional advan-
tage to labor, it is believed, would be
the making possible of larger indem-
mites without employers paying any
higher premiums. Eastern states
have found that 55 per cent of the
premiums paid to privately owned
COMPENSATION insurance companies
go to the expense of conducting tie
business, such as hiring solicitors and
which the state would
not meet. Workers would try to get
this saving applied to their indemni-
ties.
Ohio furnishes the example upon
which Minnesota's proposed change in