The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-17
COMMERCE BOARD
HOST TO VISITORS
ReDresentatiVes-Elect in
Windham County Are
Banquet Guests
COMMISSIONER OF
INDUSTRIES SPEAKS
Many Members of Chamber of Com
merce Also Attend, Making Company
of About I2O-AH but Six Represent
atives Present-Dunham Presides.

nlPFee Also
of About 12O-An but Six Represent
atives Present-Dnham Presides.
An occasion unique in the history of
Vermont was Il complimentary banquet
in the Brooks House last evening by the
Chamber of Commerce to the represent
atives elected by the various Windham
county towns at the last election to at
tend the coming session of the legisla-
ture. The design of the affair was to
enable the Windham county members to
get acquainted before going to Montpe-
lier, and in this it was a success.
Besides the invited guests there was a
large attendance of members of the
Chamber of Commerce, who bought tick
cts. making party of about 10. An
excellent turkey supper was served soon
after Z O'Clock. soon after which Hon.
John :. Buttles of Brandon, state COM
missioner of industries. gave an inter-
| eStiug address, which was the last IN
series of addresses in the principal places
! in the state by leads of state depart
ments.
Seventeen of the % representatives
elect were present, also Senator-elect
/ George l.. Durham of BrattlebOro, max
/ ing Is out of the - Windham county
members Of the coming legislature. The
! Il besides Mr.. Durham were Frank II.
/ Barber of BrattlebOrO. Oscar u. Law
/ renee of Brooklne. Charles II. Turner
of Dover Frank II. Morrison OF Dunn
! merStou. Earl w. Jaqueth of Guilford,
/ w. B. Warren of Halifax, Albert W.
Butler of Jamaica. Herbert \. WI
/ liams of Londonderry, \. NJ. Merrlheld
! of Newfane, +. l. IarlneIee on 4 i,-ll ut
! nev. Henry NJ. Weeden of Rockingham,
! FIovd Hurd of StrattoH. Fred W. Wat
| son of Townshend. II. T.. Powers of Yer
! non. Martin H. Gleason of Wardsboro,
| George H. Walker of Westminster, and
Merton #. Barber of Wilmington.
| After the banquet Acting Secretary
Carl s. Hopkins of the Chamber OF Com
lmerce expressed the pleasure of the Brat
tleboro men at having the visitors present,
and he presented Senator-elect George l..
lTunham as chairman of the meeting.
i Chairman DunhaIn presented Commits
sioner Buttles. who was a member OF the
Legislature in 1919, with few commen-
datory words.
+ Commissioner Buttles said the depart
iment of industries had to be checked up
BY the board of control and by the budget
committee. of which Mr.. Dunham is a
member, and he said he wanted to 60 on
record as saving that the greatest i'm
lprovement in the state government IN re-
cent wears was the establishment of the
. DOaEu OF COutEOf anu bit bAAlStA ~ SASiiAs
The commissioners address dwelt
largely on the workman's Compensation
law. mentioning also the factory inspec-
ton law. The speaker reviewed the work
! mans compensation legislation in detail
: noting the changed attitude toward work
men that has come about through changed
, conditions from the times of the old Eng
!, lish law. although the elementary prInci-
ples remain the same. Formerly a work
moi
shown that there was any cOntributory
negligence on his part or unless it could
, be shown that in some way the employer
, was negligent. This is true now in cases
of suits for damages but it is not a deter
mining element in the matter of work
mems compensation.
Canada and all her provinces and al
but six Of the southern states of the
, United States now have some form of g
, workmans compensation law. Vermont
first adopted the plan in 1915, and the
law was amended in 1917, so that if 6
workman is injured he is entitled to in
!, demnity, the amount per week and the
duration varying according to circum
stances. The law also provides to GER
), tain extent for dependants and for funera
expenses in case of death. The maximum
death allowance is So. 800 The law i'm
poses certain. obligations on the workmeI
land their employers.
| Commissioner Buttles said that an aver
Iage of 700 accident reports a month wer,
received by the department. \ large par
/ tof them are of a trivial nature, but al
average of about go a month are serious
+ enough SO that the disability extends be
Il yOnd the seven-day period. Very few
9 eases are appealed TO the county cOur
h from the departments award.
h One of the beneficial results of the sys
TEN of workmen's compensation has beer
the rapid increase in safety appliance
c and the work of employers along the lin
1 Iof educational propaganda to mole peopl
f more careful and thereby prevent acci
ldentS. @s .-s .
: Nothing has been done in Vermont We
in the way of industrial rehabilitation. bu
il is hoped that the future viii see activi
ties in this respect. More human rela
ttiOnships exist generally throughout Yer
mont between employer and employe thar
in many states which promotes a bette
n feeling between the factors of industry.
, At the close of the address two stanzai
g tof America were sung by the audience
q after which the meeting closed, but sew
eraI remained to speak personally witt
e Commissioner Buttles and with the mem
I bers of the coming legislature who wer
1 tpresent.