Montana labor news., 1949-09-08

with the Industrial Accident Board
in seeking 10 retain Plan Three OF
the .Not so that the rights OF the
injured worker MAY be adcpuaicly
lraiesied Al all times
H. the time remaining io mc !
>lnarld hike ia ,lll Nuu attention io
,,ll.e u the benefits aud some 81
nh, pro, cdurr, oi the Industrial
A,,idem Board In The lir>t place
the BOARD j, empowered io make
hump sum settlement payments due
tic injured worker lli.. A. you ean
well imagine. j, serious lrsponsl-
mhi, lhe Law require, that com
pui>aiiun be paid bA the month un
l,,> eH,d reason appears ior a set
iclmcni On the other hand The
benefit, PAYABLE under the Aoi IN
>nme Instances are inadequate la
support the worker and hi, family
and IN the case Uf a seriously injured
claimant. II may hc Ia hIs best in
ftit,t ia have the motley IN a lump
sum ~ that hr can make adequate
preparation ior hl> lamilN's future.
The Board gives personal consider
alton ip each oi these eases that
comes before il aud can assure the
members oi organized labor here
ioda, that wc Mil welcome The as
>isiancc nI Amir members III any
cas-, that ,uu have any information
on and II there i> ever ANY upporiun
ih to discuss with Nuu individually
| know that We will avail ourselves
al that opportunity.
Another problem that Is quite >le
nilitant relates ia the payment ul
medical bill, and hospital bills II
i no secret that one oi the greatest
beneiactors ol Wofkmen', Conlpen-
satiun payments are the doctors and
the hospitals, We have the rlehi
now. 10 spend up 10 81 lWO lur hos
pltal and medical bills The Board
considers il It's duty 10 keep 'hess
bills as a minimum and by that
mean that we believe the doctors ol
the State ui Montana should be gla,
10 give Wurkmen's onpcnsaiiol
patients the best possible treatment
at lower rates than they would r.
cci,c from private practitioners. W,
have worked out a medical lee SEIZED
ue which limits the lees that doctor
can charge and although there ha,
been some complaint on this iron
doctors involved, believe that i
/, All important Step forward be
cause We ieel thai compensation pay
lncni> are not Tor the medical pro
lesson but ipr the injured workman
The same IS true lor hospital eN
penses hrses too, should he KEEP
1t 4 minimum with the lnJuree
worker receiving the very finest o
care al the lowest possible cost.
The purpose oi Workmen's Com
pensallon insurance Is to compensat,
industrial injured ior their losse,
and to treat these losses as an ex
pcnse oi doing business. No longe
can we permit human wreckage |,
be cast upon the general public an,
ITO longer can we permit people To re
ceiyr injuries without their .beInl
adequately compensated therefore
Much remains to he done III Mon
iana, particularly III the field q
i rehabilitation oi the injured worke
There is no amout OF money whic
: viii compensate a claimant ior III
loss oi an eye Tor the loss oi an arm
i leg or loot and when the Work
mems ompensatlon payments Al
concluded, that injured worker stl
has the result oi his accident II
must be brought back to industr,
trained either for a new job or /,
some sell sufficient work that he
capable of doing There is perhal
no greater contribution that ca
be made Ia Tins field than tina, +,
rehabilitation oi the injured worke
1t is my conclusion, therefore. ihs
despite the liberal benefits ol III
Montana Law, despite the liber;
Interpretation by the Industrial 4,
Z cident Board, We cannot sill bae
and congratulate ourselves upon II
job We are doing until we know til;
: the persons who suffer these ii
du>trlal accidents will be taken cai
ol III industry, al self-supportir
Il-LllIl- LlNLl nlll ll