The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, November 12, 1931, Page 10

THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12,1981 ~ — —- -- ss iS W. C.B. Rates Must Rise if Accidents Continue Rapid Increase, Wenzel Says Commissioner Says Average | Gost Is Reduced But Number | Ts Greatly Increased A total of 36,928 industrial acci- Wents hes cost the workmen’s com- pensation ,bureau $5,143,048.32 for | medical and hospital attention, and for compensation during the last 12 years, according to figures announced ‘Wednesday by R. E. Wenzel, work- men’s compensation bureau commis-/ sioner. While the payroll exposed to work- men’s compensation insurance <le- ed during the last few years, ac- cidents have increased. in 1927, the payroll ¢xposure was $51,000,000, while accidents totaled 4.059. This year, payroll is estimaicd at $42,000,000 and accidents at 6,100. Wenzel said that unless the grow-} ing accident record is checked, 4} marked increase in workmen's com- pensation rates is certain to result. The average cost per accideny is bout $139 for the period July, 1919, to June 30, 1931. 1 “Some of the remarkable facts are,” Wenzel said, “that there have beer tome wide variations in certain fac- dors which have had no appreciable general effect upon long-time re. sults.” Cites Growing Costs i He called attention to figures show- fng the record of no-lost-time acct dents from 1922 to 1930. t In 1922, no-lost-time accidents were 43 per cent of the total; in 1923, 41 per cent; 1924, 44 per cent; 1925, 46 per cent; 1926, 46 per cent; 1927, 51 per cent; 1928, 53 per cent; 1929, 54 per cent, and 1930, 56 per cent. “The average cost of these no-lost- ‘ime accidents, which have only mec: ical expense,” Wenzel commented, "was about $11 per case, causes list- ‘ed as vehicles and explosives fre- quently running the average cost to’ ‘about $13, while machinery and other! items cut in with $9 to $9.50. “During this same period the cost of fatal and permanent total disa- bility cases fluctuated astoundingly. In 1928, for example, 31 such cases ¢¢ Drought a cost of about $189,000, while 4n 1930, 35 such cases ran the cos: over $309,000.” ‘The age of the widow and the num- fer and ages of children are impor- tant factors in the costs of such cases, Average Cost Reduced “During the last three years,” Wen- vel continued, “the average cost per claim has been around $115; so that, notwithstanding the violent fluctua- tions in certain types of permanent) injury costs, the general result has been to reduce average costs approx- imately 20 per cent. This is credit- able, almost entirely, to the effect of the Bakken bill, which passed in 1927. “But, notwithstanding this decrease in average costs, the ever-mounting increase in numbers of accidents has brought a very material increase in the gross total, and we are quite in line with the experience of such states as Massachusetts and Pennsyl- vania, which show, respectively, gross cost increases of $5,000,000 to $15,000,- 000 and $7,000,000 to $19,000,000. “As between hospital and medical charges on the one hand, and com- pensation (including both temporary and permanent disability) the fluc- tuations have been slight during the last 10 years, to-wit: 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 (six. months) \. Advised 15 Per Cent Boost “Some time ago attention was di- rected to the fact that the private carriers were demanding increases in the general level of compensation in- surance rates, averaging 13.4 per cent; for the country, and varying from two per cent in California, to 13.3 per cent in Wisconsin, 24.2 per cent, in Virginia, and 57.9 per cent in Ok- Jahoma. Consulting actuaries em- ployed by us advised a 15 per cent in- crease in our general level of rates) @t the same time, “We had gone over the matter quite thoroughly, however, and were aging $11,000 per month, and be on the safe side on July 1, 1932; and hence, in the rate readjustments of July 1, 1931, we made no increase in the general level of rates. We have run, for 1931, pretty close to the esti- mates made early in March. In other words, we have gone back, invaded our surplus, to the extent of about $10,600 per month. “At that rate, the limit of endur- ance will be reached next July. Un- less, therefore, our pleas for reduc- tions of accidents through safety campaigns, meet with decided - re- sponse, and soon, there is no doubt as to what the action of the bureau will have to be for the year 1932- 3. “Perhaps the following figures will present the picture with sufficient detail to make it impressive: Payroll Exposure Accidents 1927 . «$1,000,000 4,054 1928 . + 57,000,000 4811 1929 , + 62,000,000 5,654 1930 « 59,000,000 5,885 6,100) 1931 (partly est.). 42,000,000 CE_'TO CREDITORS 2 OF THE ESTATE ‘on, Deceased. ven by the un- Watkins, the ad- of the estate of Flora M, 1 he city of . Bis- urleigh and deceased, to persons hav- nst the estate of said ibit them with the vouchers, within six months first publication of this no- aid Frank 1, Watkins, at his n the south west quarter of in township 143 north, of or to the Judge of thi of Burleigh County, North at his office in the Burleigh rth Dakota, Court House in Rismarek, in Burleigh ‘orth Dakota. ‘e hereby further notified that Hon. I. C, Davies, Judge of the County Court within and for the County of te of North Dakota, ° 17th day of May ’A. D. t the hour of 10 o'clock in the forenoon of said day, at the ' Court Rooms of said Court, in’ the said Court House in the city of Bismarck, in Burleigh County, North Dakota, as the time and place for hearing and ad- justing claims against the estate d Flora M. Mathison, De- ich have been duly and y presented as hereinbefore provided. Dated October 24th. A. D, 1931, Frank L. Watkins, the administra- tor of the estate of Flora M. Mathi- son, Deceased. First publication on the Sth day of November, A. D, 1931. 11-5-12-19 Admits Slaying ‘ (Ansociated Presa Photo.) Chicago police said Edward Roehl, 17 year old “bad boy” stepson of a wealthy Winnetka, IIL, family, confessed killing E. Russell Thompson, Chicago broker, in a roadhouse holdup almost a year ago, o Bo anJue Niiiaerw Wes ty | Stickler Solution ! — convinced that we could weather the storm without any increase in the general level of rates. Our estimates ‘were that we could take losses aver- SIDEGLANCES - - - g g 5 re) 2 “All right, Tl take one, if you're sure they'te out of season.” -THE GUMPS—THE SHOWUP ‘ Yom SARR= BAH! 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