Proceedings, Third National Conference Workmen's Compensation for Industrial Accidents. National Conference on Workmen's Compensation for Industrial Accidents

Members of State Commissions, Delegates designated by Governors of States, Representatives of Manufacturers' Associations and Trade Unions, Insurance Companies, Russell Sage Foundation and Association for Labor Legislation, and other interested organizations and individuals.

      FRIDAY AFTERNOON SESSION, 2:00

      WORKERS' COMPENSATION CODE (Discussion continued).

      SATURDAY FORENOON SESSION, 9:30

      SPECIAL DISCUSSION:

       Classification of Hazardous Employments.

       Repeal of Common Law and Statutory Remedies.

       Contract vs. Absolute Liability.

       Limited Compensation vs. Pension Plan.

       Court Administration vs. Boards of Arbitration.

PROCEEDINGS

       Third National Conference

       Workmen's Compensation For Industrial Accidents

       Chicago, June 10-11, 1910

       Table of Contents

      The third meeting of the National Conference on Workmen's Compensation for Industrial Accidents brought together from widely separated parts of the United States a large number of those who represent the serious thought of the country on this most urgent question. Members of State Commissions in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts were present and submitted reports. Thirty-eight official delegates were appointed by the governors of States, and, in addition, representatives were present from manufacturers' associations, trade unions, insurance companies, the Russell Sage Foundation, the Association for Labor Legislation, and other interested organizations. Many individuals from the shops, the offices and the universities, attended the various sessions and listened to the arguments of the speakers or participated in the discussions.

      Among those present who took an active interest in the meetings were:

      Jane Addams, Hull House, Chicago; T. W. Allinson, Henry Booth House, Chicago; W. A. Allport, Member Illinois Commission on Occupational Diseases and State Delegate; L. A. Anderson, State Insurance Actuary, Madison, Wis.; John B. Andrews, Secretary American Association for Labor Legislation, New York City.

      James V. Barry, State Delegate from Michigan; William P. Belden, Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, Mich.; E. T. Bent, Member Illinois Commission; John J. Blaine, Member of Wisconsin Commission and State Delegate; M. J. Boyle, Member of Illinois Commission; Frank Buchanan, Structural Iron Workers' Union, Chicago; Henry W. Bullock, representing Indiana State Federation of Labor.

      Patrick Ladd Carr, Member Illinois Commission; Robert E. Conway, Member Illinois Commission; Clarence B. Culbertson, Member Wisconsin Commission and State Delegate.

      Edgar T. Davies, Chief Factory Inspector of Illinois and State Delegate; Miles M. Dawson, Insurance Actuary, New York City; F. S. Deibler, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; M. M. Duncan, State Delegate from Michigan.

      Crystal Eastman, Secretary and Member New York Commission; Herman L. Ekern, Deputy Commissioner of Insurance, Wisconsin.

      Henry W. Farnam, President American Association for Labor Legislation, New Haven, Conn.; John Flora, Member Illinois Commission; Lee K. Frankel, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York City; Ernst Freund, University of Chicago and President Illinois Branch A. A. L. L.

      John H. Gray, University of Minnesota and President of Minnesota Branch, A. A. L. L.; John M. Glenn, Director Russell Sage Foundation, New York City; George Golden, Member Illinois Commission; Daniel J. Gorman, Member Illinois Commission.

      Walter D. Haines, Member Illinois Commission on Occupational Diseases and State Delegate; Alice Hamilton, Expert Investigator Illinois Commission on Occupational Diseases; Samuel A. Harper, Attorney Illinois Commission; Leonard W. Hatch, Statistician, New York State Department of Labor; Charles R. Henderson, Secretary Illinois Commission on Occupational Diseases and State Delegate; J. C. A. Hiller, Missouri Commissioner of Labor and State Delegate; Frederick L. Hoffman, Statistician Prudential Insurance Company, Newark, New Jersey.

      Wallace Ingalls, Member Wisconsin Commission and State Delegate.

      Sherman Kingsley, United Charities, Chicago.

      Thomas F. Lane, Missouri State Delegate; Julia Lathrop, Director Chicago School of Civics; James A. Lowell, Chairman Massachusetts Commission.

      Charles McCarthy, Chief Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library; Edwin M. McKinney, Chicago; Ruben McKitrick, University of Wisconsin; Floyd R. Mechem, University of Chicago; H. V. Mercer, Chairman Minnesota Commission and State Delegate; H. E. Miles, National Manufacturers' Association and Racine-Sattley Company, Racine, Wis.; John Mitchell, Member New York Commission; William H. Moulton, Sociological Department, Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, Mich.

      Cecil Clare North, De Pauw University, Indiana.

      Irene Osgood, Assistant Secretary American Association for Labor Legislation, New York City.

      Joseph A. Parks, Member Massachusetts Commission; P. A. Peterson, Member Illinois Commission; Charles Piez, Member Illinois Commission; Ralph F. Potter, Attorney Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, Chicago.

      Samuel Rabinovitch, Milwaukee Relief Society; G. A. Ranney, International Harvester Company, Chicago; Benjamin Rastall, University of Wisconsin; A. Duncan Reid, Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, New York; C. T. Graham Rogers, Medical Inspector New York Department of Labor; David Ross, Secretary Illinois State Bureau of Labor.

      Amos T. Saunders, Member Massachusetts Commission; A. W. Sanborn, Chairman Wisconsin Commission and State Delegate; Ferd. C. Schwedtman, National Association of Manufacturers, St. Louis; Henry R. Seager, Member New York Commission and President of the New York Branch, A. A. L. L.; A. M. Simons, Chicago; Geo. W. Smith, Member New York Commission; John T. Smith, Secretary Missouri State Federation of Labor; Mason B. Starring, Member Illinois Commission; H. Wirt Steele, Charity Organization Society, Baltimore, Md.; Ethelbert Stewart, United States Bureau of Labor; Charles A. Sumner, City Club, Kansas City, Missouri.

      Edward G. Trimble, Employers' Indemnity Exchange, Houston, Texas; James H. Tufts, University of Chicago.

      Paul J. Watrous, Secretary Wisconsin Commission and State Delegate; Agnes Wilson, United Charities, Chicago; Edwin R. Wright, Member and Secretary Illinois Commission.

FIRST SESSION, FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1910, 9.30 A. M.

       Table of Contents

      In the absence of Commissioner Charles P. Neill, of the United States Bureau of Labor, who was detained in Washington by urgent official matters, the first session of the Chicago Conference was opened by the Secretary, H. V. Mercer, Chairman of the Minnesota Employes Compensation Commission, and he was unanimously elected temporary chairman for the Chicago meetings.

      In formally opening the Conference and assuming the chair, Mr. Mercer said:

      Chairman Mercer: According to the program here, the first order of business for this meeting is brief reports from the different state commissions. I understand there are seven States that have commissions working on the question of compensation for industrial accidents, or perhaps, more properly speaking, for injuries occurring in the course of and arising out of the industries in which they are employed,—for "accidents," according to the courts in some States, do not mean what we want to cover. Some courts use that term in the popular sense; some use it as including, and some use it as excluding, any idea of fault or negligence.

      In view of the fact that you have made me temporary chairman, it would hardly be proper for me to open this meeting with a report from Minnesota, and hence I will call upon the other States first.