PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION Some of those who favored the first edition of this book with notices have unintentionally introduced a humorous element into their criticisms by tracing the origin of the materials to "some German author," whose name was either unknown to the critic or was assumed to be my friend Dr. Zacher. One of them said: "Especially did the author avail himself of the information, statistics, and other data collected by a German scientist, and he admits that most of the material printed in Industrial Insurance in the United States is an English version of Die Arbeiter-Versicherung in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nord-Amerika." Such genial interpretations compel the writer to go a little beyond the bounds of modesty by explaining that he first collected all the materials for this work and wrote the book in the German language at the request of Dr. Zacher, who published it as Heft 17 of his series on "Arbeiter-Versicherung in Auslande" by various authors. This part appeared in 1907 and afterward the English version was prepared. Although this issue is termed a "new edition," it must not be understood that the volume has been entirely rewritten. Still very important additions and changes have been made; new tables of private industrial insurance companies have replaced those used at first; several new titles of importance are added to the bibliography; and the more recent legislation is noticed and in part printed in the Appendix. Interest in the subject increases rapidly and we seem to be in a fair way now to secure advanced legislation in respect to substitutes for our employers' liability laws of which complaints come from all sides. We are still behind the great European nations, but the outlook for more reasonable, just, and humane treatment of workingmen in social legislation is far more hopeful than it was a few years ago. TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY OF EUROPEAN LAWS ON INDUSTRIAL INSURANCE CHAPTER I. THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF THE DEMAND FOR A |