New Mexico state record., 1920-07-02

The commissioner OF labor sta
tistics has recently been tryinj
to ascertain the cost of industria
accidents in the United States. Ill
has found Ii no easy task. The fed
| eral government does not know how
many industrial accidents occur il
any state in the Union. Ii knowi
even less of the nature, results and so
cial cost of these accidents. Only fiv,
states-CalifOrnia. Maryland, Mime
sofa. Montana and New Jersey-re
port compensation payments separate
ly for fatal and non-fata cases and
for medical treatment and burial fOr
the years 1916 TO 1918, inclusive. Mich
igan reported these costs for the year
1916 and then quit, Nebraska for 1917
and 1918, and the United States En-
plOyees' Compensation commission for
1918. Oklahoma and Wisconsin show
for the three years, 1916-19lS. the to-
tai money compensation and the med
ical and burial benefits. Hawaii. New
York and Vermont published this in
formation for 1916: Texas for 1916
and 1918; Massachusetts for 1916 and
1917; Iowa for 1917 and 1918, and
South Dakota for 1918. Ohio and Ne
vada have published the total amounts
paid for compensation and burial for
l9l6-19lS; Connecticut for 1916 and
l9l1; Pennsylvania for 1916; Colo
RADIO for 1917 and 1918; Indiana for
1917; Kentucky and Wyoming for
1918.
Seventeen Jurisdictions have thus far
published for the year 1918 the total
paid for all compensation, in
Guiding medical benefits. The years
cover different months. Some are cal
endar years. some fiscal years. and
some compensation years determined
by the date when the compensation
laws became operative. The total
amount of all compensation as report
ad by these II jurisdictions was S1G,-
ISo,6l0. The total estimated number
IF workers included therein was near
y 11,GO,000 and the total estimated |
number entitled to come under the |
lets was 100000. If we assume that
',OO,WW workers were actually |
'rouSht under the acts. the compen-
ation payments would amount to a
early charge of S3.36 per employee.
Average Is Useless.
The utter uselessness of this av-
rage of whole series of averages Is
hown by bringing it into contrast
With the average cost of S4.S5 per
mployee for Ohio, S4.39 for Callfor-
ia, and Sl,72 for New Jersey. These
iidely different costs bear no readily
scertainable relationship to the actual
osts of accidents in these different
iates. The real cost of accidents in
hio Is not of course two and one-half
mes their cost in New Jersey. The
l1erenceS are due To differences in
ldustrles covered, waiting period,
mount of compensation provided,
aNimum and minimum limits, and
her differences in the acts and the
of them.
The bureau calls attention TO the
ct that compensation payments are
creasing year by year In all the
ates which have published figures
hich enable MS TO make comparisons.
owever. II Is not ready to believe
at the accident severity rate has
own worse since 1912. when the safe
movement became fully organized.
believes individual plants and great
operations comprising many plants
We reduced their accident rates. both
,quency and severity rates. Ii be-
YES that the growing compensation
!. the universal experience in all
ties. is due to extending the cover
Of the laws, liberaizing the com. ,
nsation provided, cutting down the 9
iting period, better and more en-
htened administration methods and
ictices, and the growing knowledge
the workers as to their rights un-
: the laws.
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