Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-12
CONVERSATIONAL
OPPOSED BY c. OF c.
Preference to UnderhiII
Measure Expressed Before
House Subcommittee.

Edward + Coiladay, president of
the Washington Board of Trade. to-
day registered the opposition of that
organization, which he described as
the leading civic organization of the
National Capital" against the Fitz-
gerald workmcn's compensation bill
and in favor of the Cnderhill bill at
a hearing before IL subcommittee of
the House District committee today.
Charles J. Columbus. secretary of
the Merchants and Manufacturers As
ISOLATION. whose creditibility as a
witness was questioned when he tes-
titled before the subcommittee yester-
day and refused to give certain in
formation asked by the chairman on
account Of an incident which he said
happened just before the meeting
started. appeared again today. He
Testified that an official of the Central
Labor Union had threatened that if
the business men of Washington OPP
posed the Fitzgerald Workmens Com
pensation bill. a demonstration by
workers in the District of Columbia
would he made calling upon every
worker owning an automobile to
cncc to. divert business away from
the Washington business houses
:. Names Labor Officials.
llpSS were the outstanding fea-
lures Of the hearing today Mr. CO.
iEmbus was the first witness and
named the officer of the Central Labor
Union who had made the alleged
threat
Hill Montague of Richmond. Va.
said he appeared as the past
president OF the National Fraterna1
congress to state the position of that
organization against the government
%oirS into insurance business, as re-
ncatedly recorded by that body
which. he said, represents more than
f.hOO.Ono persons over tWenty-one
years Of age. He explained that i,
~ ar advisory committee, taking care
of all Legislative matters for the va
rioua fraternal organizations.
In reply 70 pointed questions by
representative Roy G.. Fitzgerald OF
ONO, author of the Fitzgerald bill
who is in charge Of the hearing. Mr.
Montague said that the secretary of
the Insurance Federation of America
had suggested that he appear at the
hearings.
He said that he was president Of
one. small fraternal society in New
York and that a small compensation
attaches to the Office. but that he does
not represent any old line insurance
company. He opposed the Fitzgerald
bill as "monopolistic and tending
toward SocialiStic form OF govern
ment."
Declared "Rotten" Insurance.
Representative Charles L. Under
hill of Massachusetts, author of the
rival measure. which would make in
dustrial insurance compulsory, but
open to competition by private sen-
terprise as against government mo-
nopoly, as shown in the Fitzgerald
bill, read into the record the report
of an investigation by the Cincinnati
Chamber of Commerce on the Ohio
state governments operation of
vorkmen's compensation. This re-
port concluded that the whole ad-
ministration suffers from politics. low
pay and bureaucratic red tape
Representative Underhill said that
after ten years of experience the
state had failed to adopt the first
principle of workmenS compensa ton,
safety provisions to prevent acct
dents. 1T is the rotteneSt kind of in
surance.' said Representative Under
bill in commenting upon the claim of
Representative Fitzgerald and others
that Ohio had furnished cheap in
I surance.
Representative William J. Connery
of Lynn, Mass. who said he repre-
SCENTS one of the greatest industrial
districts in the United States, told
tho committee that IS per cent of all
the workmen in his district are on
record and have asked him to appear