Evening star., 1924-02-18
CHAMBER BACKS
LAW FOR WORKERS
Commerce Body Declares for
Compensation Measure
\ Proposed for District.
VIEWS VOICED AT HEARING
Protests Administration of Compul-
sorry Industrial Insurance by
Government Agency.
VIEWS VOICED AT HEARING

The Washington Chamber of Com
-merce today added its testimony to
that already given by the Washington
Board of Trade and the Merchants
and Manufa cturers' Association, show
ing the business and civic interests
of the District of Columbia are in
favor of workmen's compensation, but
opposed to administration of COM
pusory industrial insurance by a
government agency.
w. c. Balderston, chairman of the
law and labor committee of the
chamber of Commerce, who is him
self a practicing attorney, but does
not represent any insurance company,
represented the Chamber of Com
merce at the hearing today before a
subcommittee of the House District
committee which is considering the
rival Fitzgerald and Cnderhill work
mems compensation bills. The for
mer would have a government fund
administered through government
agency, while the latter would throw
hthe industrial insurance business
open to. competition.
Favor CompensatiOn.
The, Chamber of Commerce is in
favor Of and fer a long time has ia
vored workmenS compensation which
will be fair to the employer and the
cmploye." said Mr.. RalderSton. THE
Chamber of Commerce does not favor
compulsory industrial insurance that
viii be administered by Il government
agency 1t objects to the government
entering into business in competition
with or exercising monopoly against
private industry"
MIR. Baiderston quoted Il statement
before the Chamber OF Commerce in
, (Which he said that federal and state
governments cannot do business as
well as private concerns.
At the request of Chairman F'itz-
gerald he promised to submit the
names and occupations Of members
of the law and labor committee for
which he appeared as spokesman.
1t was Tentatively agreed today that
1.-THE hearings on the industrial insurance
measure will be closed soon after Feb
ruary %. Hearings will be continued
tomorrow with witnesses who already
have been promised time. 1t was agreed
'hat on February 21 IA number of en-
pioycs OF insurance concerns in the Dis
trict will be heard in protest against
being egislated ont of :heir jobs. They
will be presented to the committee by
David NJ Lea. chairman of the insur-
ance committee of the Washington Board
of Trade.
On February %. F. Robertson Jones.
manager of the worhman's compensa-
ton publicity bureau. New York city.
ana representing casualty insurance
concerns. has been allotted time to re-
Sp!y to arguments made before the COM
mittee.
Insurance Company Heard.
ii. p. Janisch. representing mutual
Insurance companies. including the
Security Mutual Casualty Insurance
Company Of Chicago, was heard by
the committee today. He refuted the
statements made at previous hearing
that the average expense allowance
for writing workmen'S compensation
was 80 per cent. He quoted statis-
ties to show that the average expense
ratio since 1913 on WorkmenS COM
penSation insurance written by mu-
tual companies was 1 per cent, while
in Oregon il cost the state fund. which
us considered the most efficiently ad-
ministered of any state insurance
fund. SO per cent
He emphasized that the mutuaIs,
while doing business at less than one
half the cost of the Oregon state fund.
also pays taxes and is striving at the
ideal of all insurance, prevention of
accidents
, Mr. JaniSch told the committee his
'Ntn concern is doing business in the
District and will be glad to write
all of the wOrknen'S compensation
rlSkS III lhe llStTlcl. re cdlltu 1T =
tention that there has been no criti-
cism of the way in which mutual
companies have been paying their
losses N the District.
stresses Rehabilitation Feature.
He also laid stress on the fact that
the mutualS are engaged in great
and general activity for rehabilita-
tion work though the employers thus
banded together. Hospitals for re-
hahilitation work requiring special
equipment have been established all
over the country. This rehabilita-
tun is done without any deduction
from the compensation that the law
taliows. and often costs more than
the compensation. Nine -tenths of
the employers are honest men, he
said, and are anxious to have their
workmen get square deal through in
dustrial insurance. He denied that
mutual concerns are opposing work.
mems compensation legislation.
Nature is stubborn, and doubtless.
she will continue the policy of evolu-
ton even though people get mad
about it.