The Connecticut labor news., 1924-10-04
LABOR MADE BIG ADVANCES IN MANY
 LINES THIS YEAR
American Association for Legislation Reports Protective Laws in
 Many States.

Labor made substantial gains in the 1924 output of protective legislation in several states but received scant con- sideration at the hands of Congress, according to a statement issued Au- gust 30 by the American Association for Labor Legislation.
 Progress is noted particularly in the broadening and liberalizing of work mems accident insurance laws, no less than seven of the II states that held legislative sessions this year having improved their acts.
 Adoption by Utah of a new and model legal safety code for coal mines, including use. of rock dust to prevent disasters due to coal-dust explosions, is cited by the association as a not able advance.
 Important extensions of the scope and benefits of accident compensation laws" says Thomas L. Chadbourne. president of the association, "were se- cured in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Kentucky and Virginia. The outstanding gain of the year in compensation legislation is the reduction of the non-compensated waiting period in the New York law
 from 14 to seven days, which brings 25,0O0 additional injured workers year adds million and a half dollars yearly
 to the benefits payable to industrial cripples.
 Two states will vote in November
 upon workmen's compensation laws proposed by initiative petition. In Oregon the proposed law calls for compulsory workmen's accident insur- ance under the state fund In Missouri, the only state of industrial importance not having compensation legislation, the initiated workmen's compensation law provides for insurance in an ex- elusive state fund.
 "As a result of the coal-dust ex- plosion in Castle Gate in which 172 miners were killed" he continues, "Utah's industrial commission, with the cooperation of all the coal op- orators and the Federal mine officials, put into effect sweeping and en- frightened coal-mine safety code which may we'll point the way to action by the other mining states. The new legal regulations require use of rock dust as an effective preventive of coal dust explosions.
 Industrial cripples in the various states who are being helped back to self sustaining occupations through rehabilitation have been hard hit because bill to continue Federal cooperation was delayed in Congress until, when it did pass, it was too late for the passage of the neces- sary appropriations called for in the bill
 Failure of Congress to pass the Jones bill to provide work mems accident insurance for private in the District of Colum- bia leaves 100000 wage-earners still without accident protection-a national disgrace. Congress alone can act for the District. The well-considered bill has been before Con- gress for three years. Twice it has been given strongly favorable com nittee reports after extended hearings It is unanimously supported by labor as we'll as by social service organiza tions and by progressive employers
 "Congress passed an amendment to the Federal compensation law for civ ilian employees of the Government | making clear that the original act meant to include disabilities due to oc- cupational diseases, thus putting all end to the arbitrary refusal of the >ontroller-general to pay awards duly made for occupational diseases by the l administrative commission" |
 Court decisions in 1924, according to he associations statement. have proved a setback to protective labor egislation although in two important instances they were favorable.
 Decisions cited a favorable are those # the United States Supreme Court ,pholdjng a New Yerk law prohibiting night work for women in restaurants. md sustaining a New York law re- luring that under the workmen's com ,ensation act the insurance carrier nust pay S1,00O into special state und when q workman is killed who caves no dependents to receive acci- lent compensation, one-half of which goes toward the rehabilitation of in iuStrial cripples and half toward pay ng additional compensation to work .rs who have been totally disabled for lie as result Of d second injury.
 Listed as unfavorable are the divided