The Alaska daily empire., 1920-11-23
BILL TO CREATE INSURANCE FUND
 BEING SENT OUT
Copies of Proposed New Workmens s Compensation
 Act Are Now Distributed.

"WorkmenS' Compensation Act which will be considered at the next session of the Territorial Legislature are being mailed out to individuals, business firms, fraternal societies, labor organizations and others ali over the Territory from the Govern or's office This is done under in structons contained in a Concurrent Resolution passed by the 1919 Ses-I sion of the Alaska Legislature ana criticisms and comments on the pro posed legislation are invited by Gov. Riggs
 The bill is entitled "An Act ere ating the Industrial Insurance Fund for the Benefit of Employees Injured and the Dependents of the Employees Killed in Hazardous Employmnts, Providing for the Administration of such Fund by an Industrial Commis sion and making appropriations therefor" It was proposed by Sen ator Luther c. Hess. of Fairbanks, last session and was drawn by the American Association for Labor Leg islation.
 No effort was made to pass the bill during the last term but theI Governor was authorized by reaolu- ton to have copies of the bill printed and distributed in order that an ex presson of opinion might be obtained from those Interested to be used in determining the final action of the legislature when the matter comes up next Spring. While effort isl being made by Gov. Riggs to mail a copy to everyone interested, it isl possible that some may have been missed and he will be glad to mail copies on request.
 Cheates Commission
 Section of the bill provides An Industrial Commission is hereby ere ated consisting of three commiss toners, to be appointed by the Gov time to the duties of the COmmis- sion. The term of office shall be six years. The salary of the Chair man shall be thirty five hundred dol lars (3,500) a year, and each of the other members three thousand dol lars ($3,000) a year" The Commis sion also has the power to appoint T secretary at salary of $2,000 a year. It shall have it's headquarters in Juneau with offices, but may hold sessions at any place in the Terri tory. It is also empowered to em ploy such clerical help and other as sistance as is necessary. Section also provides "The Commission is hereby invested with full power and jurisdiction over, and shall have such supervision over every employment and place of employment subject to this act as may be necessary ade- quately to administer and enforce all laws and regulations requiring such employment and place of em- ployment to be safe and shall isssue safety regulations whenever neces- sary."
 Creation of Fund
 | The proposed Insurance Fund to l be created by payments of premiums 1 levied on employers of labor subject l to the act The rate of the premium
 will be determined by rates and clas-
 sifications of employments compiled and issued by the Commission and | annual payments of premiums are re Guired to be made into the fund. l The employers securing the paymen, of compensation by contributing pre- m;ums to the Fund are thereby re- | lieved from all liability from personal i injuries or death sustained by his emrloyees and persons entitled to compensation under the act shall have recourse therefor only to the In dustrial Insurance Fund and not to the employer The Industrial Com mission, it is provided: "ShallClass- l fly employments with regard to their degree of hazard and shall determine the risks of the different classifica- tlons and shall fix the rates of pre- miums for each of said classifications sufficiently high to provide for the payment of compensation according to the schedules established by this l act and for the maintenance of ade- l Iudtc ItStlN tS anu SuIDluS Dl lHp | fodustrial Insurance Fund to the end Ithat such fund shall be kept at all
 times in an entirely solvent condt tion."
 Section II of the Act provides that employers not complying with ] the provisions affecting them as l to the payment of premiums shall not be entitled to it's benefits and persons injured and personal repre- sentatives of employees killed may collect damages and the defendant in such cases arising under such circumstances shall not avail him self as such common law defenses as: The defense of the fellow-ser- vant rule, the defense of the assump- | tiOn of risk. or the defense of con tributory negligence. It is further provided employers not necessarily subject to the terms of the Act who voluntarily pays premiums into the Industrial Fund shall be entitled to 1 he benefits thereof