Evening star., 1951-07-08
Unpaid Wages
Tota|ed S20,428
HereLast Year
70 Per Cent Made Up
Voluntarily, Agency
Declares in Report

The Minimum Wage and Indus
trial Safety Board found $20,428
lin unpaid wages owed to 742 en-
Iployes during 1885, according to
\ the boards annual report sent to
the Commissioners.
| More than 10 per cent of the.
amount was paid voluntarily be-
fore the end of the year, the report
| said, and 46 employers who failed
Ito comply were referred to the
Corporation Counsel for prosecu-
ltion.
/ The board counted a total Of
1928 violations of the wage and
hour laws during the year. More
than so per cent were violations
of the hours law.
33 Fined Nearly S1,80O.
The board continued its policy
of encouraging retroactive compli-
ance where underpayment of the
legal minimum rate W found.
rather than referring the violation
for prosecution, the report noted,
OF 38 cases prosecuted, SO drew
fines totaling nearly $1,000.
/ During the last IL years under
the wage law, the report said.
Iunderpayments of more than
$208 900 have been disclosed. Year
ly amounts varied with the number
Iof investigations made and the
number of minimum wage rate
.Irevisions, from $7,029 in 1948 to
more than $4,000 in 1916. No
wage order was revised in 1850.
i In the industrial safety division.
30.582 non-fatal injuries were re-
ported during the year. This was
465 more than in the previous
year, but employment during 1850
Increased by 4,645 workers, the
board said.
Injuries Show Decrease.
! Reviewing the industrial acci-
dent experience record along with
that of employment since 1941.
when the industrial safety law
was enacted, the report found that
although there were 22,612 more
workers in 1850, the injuries re-
ported represented a decrease Of
1904.
The injury rate dropped from
1881 per cent in 1949 to 1877
during 1850, according to the
statistics. e.. -.-.-
Private employers reported So
fatalities during 1850, nine more
than in 1949. Of these, six were
outside the District, one did not
involve an employe, three were
murders, three were caused by a
communicable disease. shower
bath mishap and an automobile
accident and 18 from natural
cauSeS.
OF the remaining %. II were
in the construction field.
Inspections and reinspections
of the division totaled 4,121. OF
I2,445 violations of the safety reg
|ulations reported by the boards
inspectors. 2.415 were corrected or
lotherWise eliminated.
Five Convictions Obtained.
During 1850, the board recon-.
mended prosecutions in eight
cases for alleged violations of the
1safety regulations. Five resulted
lin convictions, with fines totaling
$3.50. In other cases employers
were permitted to forfeit COLA
teral amounting to $470.
while industry's acceptance Of
safety regulations is encouraging, !"
the report said, many accidents
I. and injuries would be avoided if
# individual concerns would organ
B ize accident prevention programs
L for their particular activities.
& TOO often. preventive action
4 is neglected until the safety in
\ spector visits the job or plant or
4 an accident brings corrective &C
B ton"
v Lower Rates Seen.
!, The board added that IAN ef-
fective accident prevention pro-
- gram will be not only self-sup-
- porting but will pay dividends
&c to both employers and employees
by lowering compensation rates.
ay by building better human rela-
m tions and by reducing human suf-
=, fering and preventing the loss Of
family income"
10 Cost to industry for compen-
Sc sation to employees injured here
We during 1850 announced to $1,134,-
ay 1913, not including the cost of
medical treatment, damage to
property, loss of the injured work.
ers earnings or other accident
costs, it was reported.