coal trade bulletin - Clpdigital.org

August Belmont, chairman of the Workmen's
Compensation Department of the National Civic
Federation, announces the publication of the
report upon the operation of State Workmen's
Compensation Laws made by the commission created
in July, 1913, by the National Civic Federation
and composed of employers, legal experts and
labor representatives appointed by the American
Federation of Labor. Its extraordinary value is
attested by the fact that the United States Senate
ordered it printed as a Government document.
The workings of the various compensation laws
in States having had any important experience
are reviewed and analyzed in a way to bring out
distinctly the strong and weak provisions.
The findings are based upon personal conferences
and hearings in different sections of the
country all the way from the Atlantic to the
Pacific Coast, and upon replies to thousands of
letters of inquiry and questionnaires, the answers
representing a payroll of $358,640,383. The labor
viewpoint as to the benefits derived from workmen's
compensation laws was sought and opinions
were secured from employers, public officials and
insurance men.
Some of the subjects covered are: "Degrees of
satisfaction given by compensation as against liability
laws;" "Reasons for accepting or rejecting
elective acts;" "The amount of compensation;"
"Contributions by employees;" "Methods of insuring;"
"Cost of compensation;" "Exclusiveness
of compensation remedy;" "Employers' defenses
abrogated under elective acts;" "Employments
covered;" "Injuries covered;" "Who are dependents;"
"Non-resident alien dependents;"
"Contractors' liability to employees of sub-contractors;"
"Length of waiting period;" "Medical
and surgical aid;" "Effect on prevention of accidents;"
"Litigation under compensation acts;"
"Methods of administration;" "Effect upon relations
of employer and workmen," and "Suggestions
for amendments to State laws."
Other provisions of the report are: A topical
digest of the principal provisions of statutes in
force January 1, 1914; rules and forms used by
State hoards to
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 27
WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION*
Samuel Gompers, President American Federation
of Labor, Washington, D. C.
Louis B. Schram, Chairman Labor Committee,
United States Brewers' Association, Brooklyn,
N. Y.
W. H. Marshall, President American Locomotive
Co., New York City.
Frank V. Whiting, General Claims Attorney, N. Y.
C. & H. R. R. R„ New York City.
Timothy Healy, President International Brotherhood
of Stationary Firemen, New York City.
E. H. Letchworth, Rogers-Brown Iron Co., Buffalo.
N. Y.
M. F .Westover, Secretary General Electric Co.,
Schenectady, N. Y.
Raynal C. Boiling, United States Steel Corporation,
New York City.
The Commission, which gave six arduous
months to this investigation, was made up as follows
:
Chairman, Cyrus W. Phillips, member of the
former New York State Commission on Employers'
Liability, Rochester, N. Y.
J. Walter Lord, Chairman of the Maryland State
Commission on Employers' Liability and Workmen's
Compensation, Baltimore, Md.
Otto M. Eidlitz, of the New York Building Trades
Employers' Association, New- York City.
Louis B. Schram, Chairman Labor Committee,
United States Brewers' Association, Brooklyn,
N. Y.
James Duncan, Vice-President American Federation
of Labor, Quincy, Mass.
John Mitchell, Vice-President American Federation
of Labor, Mount Vernon, N. Y.
Mr. Duncan and Mr. Mitchell were appointed
by the American Federation of Labor to co-operate
with the National Civic Federation.
The Commission found that not only are more
than 5,000,000 workmen now operating under compensation
laws, but that
I.AWS GOING INTO EEFEC'T
during the coming year will bring several million
more workmen under this system. Even elective
acts have been so generally accepted by employers
and employees in States where they are in force
FACILITATE THE ADMINISTRATION
that in those instances a vast majority of indus­
of the laws, and valuable statistics furnished by trial accidents are covered.
them.
Here and there an employer was found who,
The Committee on Plan and Scope, which out­
owing largely to his peculiar kind of business or
lined the inquiry, appears below:
his particular experience, criticized the principle
Chairman, Otto M. Eidlitz, New York Building
of the law. These cases, however, were scattered
Trades Employers' Association, New York City.
and were confined, as a rule, to men who had
*Report upon operation of State law made bv Commission few, if any. accidents in their plants. Some em­
of the National Civic Federation and the American Federaployers had not accepted the law for the reason
tion of Labor.