The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-01-03

RICHMOND, Va, Dec. 27.-Crip-
led industrial workers can and dc
"come back" as productive self-sup-
porting members of society, often
into skilled trades
The Smith Bankhead bill now pend
ing in Congress, and companion
laws by the states, should be enact
ed promptly to provide vocational
rehabilitation for mained victims of
industrial accidents.
Compensation laws should be
amended to insure full benefits for
crippled workers, while relieving en-
ployers from excessive liability that
may arise out Of a second injury to
partially disabled workers.
These conclusions were set forth
in series Of brief reports submitted
by Federal and state officials at the
round-table discussion on workmen's s
compensation f or cripples which
opened the twelfth annual meeting of
the American Association for Labor
Legislation this morning at the JEFF
ferson Hotel, with G. D. Robertson,
Minister of Labor of Canada, pre-
siding.
Suggests Special Funds
"To facilitate the return of Grip
pied workers to industry, most states
will be obliged to remove existing
drawbacks in their workmen's COM
pensation laws, according to the
recommendations submitted by John
Mitchell, chairman of the New York
Industrial Commission. "The en-
ployer should be held liable only for
the injury incurred within his plant.
But the extraordinary compensation
due to the combined effect of past
and present injuries should be paid
to the cripple. How? By a special
fund, if need be, such as that estab-
lished in New York by assessing en-
ployers 500 for every case Of death
due to industrial accident where there
are no dependents. If workman
who had lost an arm ten years ago
loses his other arm, his employer is
required to compensate him merely
as if he would lose on arm. The
special fund takes care of the diff
ference and conpensates the now
totally disabled worker for the rest
of his life
R. M. Little, director Of the Ameri-
can Museum of Safety and former
chairman of the United States EN-
ployees' Compensation Commission,
declared at is comparatively easy
to work out just measures to cover
disabled soldiers and sailors, through
the Federal government assuming
entire responsibility It is also
easy in Ohio, for persons disabled in
iiiduoIi " bSSduSC VI lilG NGu-
istered state insurance fund for
workmen's compensation. The Ohio
Industrial Commission has already
met the problem. In fact, the Ohio
experience challenges the attention
of every state in the Union. 1t is
not Socialistic scheme but COM
nonsense business arrangement to
deal justly with an intricate prob
lem. The employers and employees
alike are satisfied and every state
ought to make a careful study of the
Ohio experience"
Employers Favor Plans
Chairman George P. Hambrecht,
of the Wisconsin Industrial Com
mission, reported that in his state
the experience of handicapped work
men in making good" shows prom
ising results, although too much
economic waste results from pres
ent scattering efforts to re-employ
cripples.
Pennsylvania employers hold forth
encouraging prospects of openings
for disabled persons, according to
Chairman Harry A. Mackey, of the
Pennsylvania Workmen's Compensa-
tion Board. "The outlook is good"
he said, "for the return to useful
self-sustaining occupations of every
cripple who is given a chance for
rehabilitation and trade skill"
Irene Sylvester Chubb of the AS
sociation for Labor Legislation, de-
clared that the ambitious cripple
should not suffer loss of workmen's
compensation benefits. injured en-
ployees," she said, "should not be
penalized for rehabilitating them
selves. When the injured man or
woman knows that the amount of
compensation will not be affected bv