Evening star., 1949-03-23
President Urges
Cut in Industrial
Accident Total
Holving Of Figure
In 3 Years Asked
At Sofety Session

At Sofety Session
President Truman urged today
that industrial accidents be
cut by 100000 annually-which
would halve the current rate.
The Presidents proposal was
advanced at a conference on in
dustrial safety at the Depart
mental Auditorium, to which he
had invited State Governors to
send representatives.
He promised "all help that the
Federal Government can give" in
achieving this safety goal.
The President asserted that "the
JOB of reducing industrial acci-
dents is primarily job for en-
ployers and workers." And he
added:
"All of you here can play an
important part in achieving better
safety practices. Those of you
from business and labor groups
should consider yourselves as am
bassadors of safety with employ
ers and labor unions"
Rhode Island Record Cited.
The President departed from
his prepared text to say that it
would be wonderful if the rest of
the Nation could attain the in
dustrial safety record achieved by
Rhode Island, which reduced in
dustrial accidents SO per cent in
four years. He told his audience
that I'VE can get it if we try"
The conference was opened this
morning by Secretary of Labor
Tobin. The Cabinet officer de-
clared that this is the first
national endeavor, at the invita-
ton of the President of the United
States, to reduce the annual toll
of nearly 100000 industrial ac-
cidents.
I'VE must check this needless
waste of lives and money" Sec
retary Tobin asserted.
The President was introduced
by Mr.. Tobin. This afternoons
session was slated to include an
address by the Secretary of Labor
and speech by Gov. John o. Pas
tore of Rhode Island on THE
States Next Steps in Safety"
Small Plant Need Greatest.
The accident reduction goal,
the President said, should be
achieved within. three years.
Companies with good safety rec
ords have proved time and again
that this can be done" he said.
Their safety records are no &C
cident."
What progressive management
and labor groups have done in the
past, others can do. AS you know,
the need is greatest in the small
er plants. where 10 per cent OF the
accidents occur, and where the
organized safety movement is
weakest. We can and we must
reduce accidents in small plants
as well as in large ones"
The President added that "the
plain fact is that our Nation can
not afford the needless loss of
skilled workers If we are to pro-
duce for prosperity in this coun-
try and for peace abroad"
The President said that the
role of the Federal Government
in this movement is primarily
to stimulate cooperation for
safety and encourage the use of
the best methods and standards. :"
Mr.. Truman recalled that he
had asked Congress for Federal
grants to State labor agencies to
strengthen their industrial safety
activities and that he hoped these
funds would be forthcoming as a
matter of common sense"
Author Gives Talks
The conference, the outgrowth
of a smaller meeting here last
September, has as it's primary aim
the prevention of death and in
jury in the factories and shops
of the country, particularly the
smaller businesses.
Among the delegates to the
conference is Margery Wilson.
author and lecturer.
At press conference in the
National Press Club yesterday.
Miss Wilson, whose married name
is Mrs. Vance L. Bushnell, had
some unusual advice for factory
owners.
Miss Wilson proposed that
workers, during regular rest per-
iods, be served tea. She would
have the employer dish out the
tea
Author of Eight Books.
Miss Wilson is the author Of
eight books on such subjects. as
chain, 1.-The New Etiquette" and
"THe Woman You Want to Be"
Meanwhile, the Bureau of La
borE Statistics disclosed that for
the first time in eight years dis
abling work injuries last year fell
below 100000. 1t listed the 1948
injuries at 100000, nearly per
cent below the 1947 total Of
2.O59, 900.
Factors in the decrease, the bu-
reab said, were the absence of
any major disaster, and p de-
crease in injury rates of manu-
featuring, mining, railroads and
other industries. The equivalent
of years full-time employment
for. $4,000 workers was lost last
year, the bureau said, totaling
41,000,000 man days in work time.
The safety record was made de-
spite the larger numbers of
workers employed in nearly every
industry group, officials said.
U. S. to Print Copies