The New York herald., 1922-10-25
WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 25. 1922.
Governor Miller's Help to In.
jured Workmen.

Governor MILLER in this campaign
there has been nothing more dishon
est and there has been nothins
meaner than the political slander,
that he was party to the changing O
the labor compensation laws to tn,
detriment of injured workingmen. A,
n matter of fact the changes that wer
made were made at the suggestion
OF labor men to give more and bette
protection to the injured, and the,
were afterward strongly approved by
labor men as accomplishing that very
thing. Let Governor MnLERs words
delivered at Hornell, New York, ex
plain as to one of these change.
which certainly was not made to tn,
disadvantage of the injured work
man. Governor MILLER said:
MY adversary said that we re-
stored what he called the vicious
direct settlement provision. which
he says puts the injured workman
and the injured workman's family at
the mercy of the insurance carrier.
''We found that there were great
delays in the settlement of these
cases, delays due to the fact that
payment could not be made until the
matter had been passed on by the
commission and an award had been
made. That was the result of the
change in the law that ne had made
That resulted in great delays in cases
about which there was no dispute
whatever, and. of course, when a
worker is hurt he needs his compen-
sation If ever.
Now, we made this change: We
said by the statute that if worker
was hurt his or her name should stay
right on the payroll. We did not
turn him over to the insurance COM
pany. We said that was thing to
be taken up between employer and
employee. Let the employer go TO
the insurance company. We put the
duty on the employer to keep that
injured workman or woman on the
payroll and to pay, without any con-
tract of any kind, the pro rata charge
of compensation required by the
statute, unless the employer intended
to contest the claim that it was made
the duty of the employer forthwith
10 give notice 10 the Industrial COM
mission.
THAT is the thing that lie said
turned over the unfortunate workman
to the insurance carrier. 1t has re-
suited in the prompt payment OF 20
per cent. of the cases for compensa-
tion for injuries. That is what has
happened. without going to an insur-
ance carrier. without waiting for an
award. without any delay at ALL"
Then another thing which Gov
ernor MILLER and the Legislator
did was to close a loophole throug
which insurance companies were es
Gaping paying injured workmen oil
the plea that they had not been in
jured on the spot where they ough
to be injured to get compensation
and certainly this change was no
made to the disadvantage Of the in
iured workman. Let Governor Mil
LER's words tell about this change:
''Now. we did another thing OF in
terest 70 the insurance carriers. The
insurance carriers had been taking
premiums. insuring risks under the
statute and then. after an accident
happened. had been setting up as a
defense that the accident happened
not within the course OF the employ
nent. not within the terms of the
statute. That was one OF the COM
mon defenses. that the accident did
not come within the provisions of the
act, although the Insurance company
had taken a premium to insure that
very workman. and they based their
premiums, you know. on the payroll.
"Well. we amended the statute in
such way as to provide that the
insurance carrier by insuring risk
should be stopped from denying that
IL was not within the terms of the
statute. and we cut off that defense
which has been prolific of litigation"
And here is another change made
and certainly this change was nc
made to the disadvantage OF the in
jured or sick workman, as Governo
MILLER shows:
1--WE did another thing, aa6nr
IS only one OF man.