The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-01-07

III L age OHCl
and property. In order to reduce
this heavy human and economic
waste we deem it advisable to have
this industry operate independent
ly and separately from the other
industries coming within the scope
of the law.
Labor Dept.-It is an evident fact
that Americas industries lack a
harmonious basis of relationship
between the management and the
workmen employed. Our present
mediation department with its
cumbersome and Anticipated legal
machinery no longer meets the re-
quirements of our modern system
of industrial production. This
change in production is making it
increasingly more difficult to man
age labor because personal pride
and human ingenuity has been
largely supplanted by power driven
machinery. To be consistent, re-
sourceful and useful to our indus
tries, the government should de-
wise legal machinery for the han
ding of these problems; machinery
that will correspond with our social
and economic structures, with a
view of preventing industrial
strikes and lockouts. The labor
department should absorb the well
fare commission and full authority
should be reposed in this depart
ment to administer all laws cover
ing industrial conditions, such as
establishing minimum wage, en-
forcement of child welfare laws;
and creating in connection there
with mediation boards to be COM
posed of employers and workmen
representation for the settlement
of industrial dispuates and enforce
such other labor laws as may prop
erly come within the confine of this
department.
TERN AND REMOVAL FROM
OFFICE
There is another very significant
fact that should be considered under
the proposed change, which hereto
fore has been overlooked at the pre-
ceding sessions of the legislature.
That is, the frequent and unnecessary
removal of commissioners. During
the last nine years we have had II
different members on the Industrial
Insurance Commission, some of whom
have resigned for personal reasons,
but most of whom were removed on
account of the political changes in
the state administration. If this de-
moralizing condition was remedied it
is safe to assume that the efficiency
of the commission and it's subordinate
branches would be considerably i'm
proved. To this end it seems judi
cious to suggest that the term of Of
flee should be for a longer duration
and that there should be only three
specific causes for which a commits
sioner might be removed:
1st-Malfeasance in office.
2nd-Conduct unbecoming a pub
lie official.
3rd-Absence from duty without
consent of the commission or the
governor.
Either by custom or statutory pro-
vision the public representative, who
in this case is the governors appoint
tee, should by virtue of his position,
serve as chairman of the commission
There seems to be strong feeling
permeating in the minds of some of
our public officials, that inasmuch as
the state is contributing out of the
general funds towards the admins
trative maintenance of these boards
and commissions that this gives them
the right to exercise unquestioned au-
thority over their administrative
policy, without due consideration of
employer and employee.
no fai nd mi a1 RI oil
parties concerned let US for a mo-
ment consider the amount of money
that the state is actually contribut-
ing to the support of these depart
ments and what remuneration the
state received for this expenditure.
For two-year period beginning with
April 1919, the legislature appropri-
ated out of the general fund to these
four principal departments for ad
ministrative purposes total of
$637 10000. Comparing this contri-
button with the vast amount of money
expended for court costs prior to the
adjustment of private law suits for
the collection of indemnities, we find
that the state on whole has saved
$50 per cent, per annum, under this
new and concilatory method.
For example: During the fiscal
year ending September 80, 1920,
there occurred in the industries of
this state 800 fatal and approximate
ly 26,631 non-fatal accidents. Sup
posing that we had no compensation
law, medical aid or safety act on our
statute books and that we were still
operating under the old common law
system, conservatively speaking, it is
safe to predict that Is per cent of the
1000 accident cases would have
been subjected to litigation. Figur-
ing that the average cost of a jury
trial is only $4,000 per case, this
alone would bring the court costs up
to $2,430, 100000 per annum. Now let
US deduct from this amount the
states contribution of $637 10000;
this will leave balance of $1,792,-
10000, an amount that was actually
being saved to the taxpayers of the
different counties and the state as
a whole. alphabetically speaking if
we were to calculate this on a nine
year basis, since the inception of this
act, the final result would show that
we have saved in court costs &c.,
1872, 10000.
1t would be interesting in this
connection to compute, if possible, in
dollars and cents the saving to the
commonwealth by the placing of
those hitherto dependents on public
and private charity upon a self-sus-
tanning basis. The maintenance of
public charitable institutions consti-
tutes direct tax upon the common
wealth and we are confident an an
alysis of this phase of public cost
would bring into strong relief this
benefit of the law to the taxpayers.
Instead of these laws being a liza
bility to the state they are a great