IMPORTANT INQUIRY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8258, 22 October 1912, Page 4

IMPORTANT INQUIRY

THE WISCONSIN INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION.

ATTRACTS CANADA’S ATTENTION.

(By P. J. Watrous.)

The work of the industrial commission of Wisconsin is attracting the attention not only of economists, sociologists and others interested in the welfare ot employers and employees in the United States, but those of the Dominion of Canada and other neighboring countries. Scarcely a week passes but what some representative of a legislative committee in another State, or some representative of a manufacturers' association or organised labor, or somo representative of a newspaper or magazine interested in better social conditions, calls upon the industrial commissi on to get a clear idea of its work. SANTTADY WORK. Representatives of the Master Bakers' Association, for instance, which meets in Louisville, Ky., tho latter part of September, have recently made a searching inquiry into Wisconsin's method of handling sanitary conditions in bakeries, with a view to having tho National Association of Master Bakers adopt out rules

governing sanitary conditions as their btandard. The territory of Alaska has aiskcd for our standard with, a view to having it adopted in that far off connto' EMPLOYEES HELPING. The State Manufacturers' Magazine of Milwaukee has lieen carrying on a campaign in this Stale among tho manufacturers for the better protection of employees, and it lias rendered the industrial commission a groat sc nice. A magazine entitled "Industrial Canada-, published in Toronto, in its August number gave the industrial commission several pages of most favorable comment, and illustrated the work of the commission hy various photographs of safety devices, etc. A SAFETY CAMPAIGN. Tho method, of approaching the subject of salcty is a new and novel one. Tho commission has organised three salcty exhibits, one of which is located permanently in .Milwaukee, and two are now being placed at tho very doors of the manufacturers of this State. These exhibits coiuprico about 1900 photographs, drawings ana blue prints, and manufacturers everywhere, with few exceptions, are visiting tho exhibit, and are directing their foremen, and superintendents to visit it, with a view to getting pointers to safeguard their own machinery. Tho few who are not meeting tho commission in this way are tho ones that ecem to bo causing the most trouble, and this is Largely duo bo the fact that many times they are not aware of the dangers that exist. For instance, a factory inspector will go into a factory and suggest that a certain set screw, gear, lly wheel, pul Ley, or whatever it may bo, bo guaadod. Ho is at once met with the proposition that that gear, or this sot screw or lly wheel has been in that condition for thirty years and no accident has ever happened ; therefore it is absolutely safe and it is a useless expenditure of money to guard it. A TERRIBLE) RECORD. The industrial commission, however, is receiving complete records of about 6001) to 70u0 accidents a year. These records show the industrial commission conclusively where and how accidents are occurring, and give them the only safe basis upon which to issue general orders for the protection of employees. When an inspector calls upon a manufacturer and finds that he has not complied with tho orders, ho reports the matter to the industrial commission. The commission at once reports back to the employer, calling attention to his violation of such orders. Frequently a manufacturer will pretest. Qno manufacturer protested that it was useless to.guard a set screw because "it is out of reach of an employee and no one over 'goes there." The records of the industrial commission show, however, that one employee was literally tom to pieces by being caught on a set screw 11 feet 'from the floor. Orders aire also issued providing for belt shifters. One employer wrote that it was a useless expense to compel him to provide a belt shifter, "because the pulley on which the belt shifter would bo ■ placed is out of reach of employees." ■ But before the commission could get a reply back to this letter, an employee had been caught in the pulley and both arms were broken. Other manufacturers protest against guarding the top half of a band saw, when no less than 25 severe accidents have happened in this State in tho last year as a result of the top half of hand saws not being guarded. It is perhaps safe to say that three-fourtha of the accidents that are reported to the industrial commission are accidents which occur "where nobody ever goes, or on machines where nobody ever has been injured, or in places of employment where nobody has ever been hurt." AN OLD DODGE. Again, one employer of labor recently wrote the commission something like this: "What are you doing to ns now? If you keep this np you will drive us out of the State.” “That argument has been advanced when every progressive piece of legislation in this State has been adopted. It was used against the Railroad Kate Bill; it was used against the public utility law; it was and is being used against the income tax law. and in some few instances is even 'being used against the Workmen’s Compensation Act and tho industrial commission law. These two latter laws are intended to save the employers of tho State a half-million dollars extra expense a year, and at tho same time create a better feeling between employers and employees by giving the latter to understand that they will be compensated for accidents. The insurance companies of this Sjate are taking out of the pockets of manufacturers over .£200,000 a year, and no one has ever so much as received a suggestion that theso companies are driving

employers out of the State. PROTECTION CHEAPER THAN ACCIDENTS. Less than half of tho amount these companies are taking out of the State would fully'compensate for every accident which occurs, and a very small fraction of the other half would guard all the dangerous machines and places in tho State, capable of being guarded. This would further reduce the cost of accidents. But the objections above mentioned are very few. A great majority of the manufacturers are entering into the spirit of these laws in good faith, and the industrial commission’s records show that wonders are being accomplished. The Fairbanks-Morse Company, the Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company, the Pflster-Vogel Leather Company, the Morgan Company, the La Crosse Plough Works, the Falk Company, the Wisconsin Chair Company, and many other similar concerns are taking the lead in this great work and are' being followed by nearly all other concerns. During the year something like 30,000 orders have been issued by deputies, and very few have not been complied with. Those few have not been complied with because of rebuilding of factories, or because it was found that the orders could’ not be upheld under the laws. SMOOTH RUNNING. As to the compensation side of the industrial commission’s work, that is giving tho commission but very little trouble. Over 95 per cent, of the accidents which have occurred under this law have been settled without the industrial commission giving any of its time or attention to tnem. They are settled between employer and employee. Only two cases have been ■ taken into the courts, one being an employer, the other an employee. WOMAN’S WORK. The woman’s hours of labor law has perhaps been one of the most difficult u> aumunster. As far as Wisconsin is concerned, this is an entirely new law. Business men who are employing women nave been too busy to understand the effect upon women of long hours of labor, however light the work performed may be. They do not understand that in order to have a healthful, rugged race of people, the health of the mothers of that race must be protected. It was necessary, therefore, for the industrial commission to carry on a campaign of education. This has taken time and a great deal of energy, but where this law was at one time most bitterly opposed, it is now being upheld. The restaurant keepers are the ones who have offered tho most resistance. These people often employ a grade of help that fears tho loss of their positions, and while they will tell the industrial commission of violations, when asked if they would testify to them in court they

invariably refuse. In some cases tiio industrial commission has gone ahead upon tho word of such employees, only to bo thrown down in court because such witnesses rather perjure themselves than lose their positions. TRUANCY WORK. Tho truancy work of tho commission is being worked out to the satisfaction of both the school officers and tho industrial commission. It has been slow work, but tho more tho work of the commission is understood by school officers, tiic more such officers are assuming their share of tho responsibility imposed upon them, and tho commission expects that tho next year will remove many of tho difficulties formerly in the way. T-he parochial schools offered what seemed to be a very stubborn resistance in tho beginning of the year, but tho parochial school officers and ministers of churches have taken hold of tho matter with a view to working the proposition out, very satisfactorily.