Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1920-07-29
WORKMEN'S BUREAU
MAY HAVEFUND OF
SEVERAL MILLIONS
Has Already Collected Over
Half a Million-Rates High
er Than in Any Other State,
Commissioner Says.


the North Dakota Workmen's Com
pensation bureau, which are now at
tackled as being beyond the bureaus
needs and a penalty upon industry,
may increase until the funds amount
to millions of dollars, under the
plan Of procedure explained by S. S.
Mcdonald, commissioner.
The amount of money derived in
one year from the insurance must be
sufficient to care for the payments
allowed to disabled workmen in that
year until the payments are finished.
Mr.. r.McDonald said. 1t is the plan to
allow the interest derived to pay the
operating expenses Of the bureau.
The bureau received $526,651.94
during the fiscal year of the opera
tion of the law, and expended $103,-
O55, leaving approximately $427 900
on hand.
In several cases claims for per-
manent injuries we're allowed, under
which rulings persons will draw pay
ments from the bureau for the rest
of their life. The case of Guy Blake
injured in dynamite explosion in
Burleigh county, was cited as an in
stance of the manner in which the
system operates.
Blake is blind, his hands were
blown or and he is allowed two
thirds of his average weekly salary
for the remainder of his life, or SIS
a week. Figuring that he will live
80 years, under the American NOR
tality table, he will receive during
his lifetime $36,504 from the work.
mems compensation bureau.
Must Have Reserve
Rates each year will be based on
past experience and upon the amount
of liabilities incurred in the preced-
ing year, the commissioner added.
To care for obligations which will
not be discharged for, in some cases,
80 or 40 years the funds, therefore,
may accumulate until the bureau has
on hand millions of dollars.
/. The, bureau also has evolved a
plan of penalizing individual firms.
which have a greater percent of ac-
cidents than normal, Mr.. Mcdonald
said. A system of merits and de-
merits for the number of accidents is
to be used in the future, and the
firm will be rated accordingly in the
future, the rate being higher or
lower than the average rate of COM
pensation insurance for that partj-
cular branch of industry.
Rates Vary
Rates for the year from July /,
1920, will vary in some instances
from the rates of last year.
Rates are increased for the build
ing trades, the commissioner said.
The largest percent of accidents dur
ing the year was in this line of in
dustry, he added. Rates on printing
establishments are said to be tho
same. Rates on mining companies
are lowered because of smaller per
cent of accidents than was figured,
he said. The mining rate is reduced
from $4.95 to $40 on each $10O
of the payroll, Mr.. Mcdonald said.
Rates to telephone companies also
are to be lowered.
Many companies did not Genre un
der the provisions Of the law al
tnough it is compulsory. No cases
have been filed against those who
did not pay the Insurance.. Mining
or other companies,
which did not come under the pro-
visions of the law last year, but do
come this year, are to be penalized
BY an added rate, with a refund at
the end of the year on the excess of
what the first years rate amounted
10. It was explained.
The number OF claims allowed by
he bureau during the first year was
! bout 1000. The North Dakota
'ates are the highest of any state,
he commissioner said.