The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-14
AMENDMENTS TO.
 COMPE PENSAT |ON ACT| SOUGHT BY k|LBY.
Labor Agrees With Retiring Governor in Need For More Careful Provisions
 For W0rkmen
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law, Governor Kilby suggested that the award should be 100 per cent greater than the award in cases where adults are injured. The gov ernor contends that this increase would cause employers to make closer investigation of cases where they are uncertain as to the age of applicants for positions.
 While labor organizations may not be in full accord with all of Cover nor Kilby's proposal, their repre- sentatives in the legislature believe the suggestion in the message will serve as an excellent guide in the preparation of a bill for submission during the session.
 Bowen Wants Amendment.
 "The workmen's compensation law should be amended so as to pro- vide further protection of those in jured in industry and further com pensation of dependents of those dis abled or killed in industry" said Lewis Bowen, member of the Jeffer- son delegation in the house, who will be one of the spokesmen for labor. Governor Kiiby has made many wise suggestions in his mes- sage which certainly may be used as a basis for the preparation of amendments. While I have not given such consideration to his proposal as would cause me to say the sugges- tions should be incorporated in toto in the new law, I do believe they will be of great value in the prepa- ration of the proposed law"
 Among the laws passed by the legislature of 1919 none is more far reaching in it's Humanitarian aspects than that of the .Workmen's Com pensation Act" said Governor Kilby in his message. This law became effective January l, 1920, its admin istration through the act being placed in the hands of the director of the department of archives and history. There have been reported to the commissioner since that date and to October l, 1922, total of l6.304 compensable cases of injured workmen. The amount of compen- sation paid to these men by em- ployers and compensation insurance carriers totals $1,406. 972.63 The number of cases adjusted through the circuit courts during that period was.J376 with an award value of $406,
 The above figures refer only to those cases in which the period of disability exceeded two weeks None of the foregoing figures include med ical expenditures, burial and other expenses, covering only compensa- tion.
 Under the act, employers work ing sixteen 16) or more men auto- matically come under the law unless they elect not to do so. Many of these carry their own insurance with out any form of bond, while the ma jority insure their risks by compen- sation underwriters in Alabama.
 Would Rewrite the Law
 Since the enactment of the work mems compensation law and three years experience the need of amend ments Is apparent. The act should be rewritten and couched in lan- guage intelligible to all, including the working man himself. A table of specific awards should be tabu- lated Instead of reading continuous. ly as at present and section set aside for definitions of the termi used, to be arranged alphabetically Instead of applying only to employ. CTS working l6 or more employee the number should be reduced t, five (5). The coverage of railroad employees should be explicitly de. fined. The law at present specifi cally states that 1t shall not appl, to any common carrier tdoing al interstate business) while engage, in interstate commerce. At presen