this number are needlessly so. Mr Will C.
French of the State Industrial Accident Commission estimates that we
have 1,000,000 employees in the state, and we have 300 industrial
injuries daily, including Sundays. We thus have approximately 100,000
industrial accidents each year in this state. Since 1914, there were
23,451 eye injuries, and of these 549 were permanent injuries, and 11
resulted in total blindness. The medical and compensation costs of these
eye injuries will be about $788,000. The 11 blind call for life
pensions. The State Library home teachers are teaching 7 out of the 11
cases, and the Industrial Accident Commission is very glad to co-operate
with us.

In California we have an average of 26 eye injuries each working day,
and this number is likely to increase, especially in the shipbuilding
industry, because of the chipping steel, use of emery wheels, and
machinery in the construction of vessels. The State Accident Commission
advocates goggles, one pair to each man. There are four kinds of goggles
used. Those for the protection against flying material, for protection
against intense heat and light, for protection against gases, fumes and
liquids, and dust goggles. Masks are urged for welders and babbiters,
and these masks are so strongly constructed that they not only fit the
eye, but have shields at the sides of each lens to prevent the flying
chips from entering the eyes from the sides. In most of the large plants
there are committees of safety composed of employees, and they do much
to reduce industrial accidents. Precautionary leaflets are circulated
among the workmen, and attractive posters, printed in all languages, are
used. Some of these are very effective. One shows a man saying
"good-bye" to his wife and five little ones, and underneath is written,
"How could they do without you?" One of the best known slogans, and one
carrying conviction, is "You can see through glass goggles, but you
can't see through glass eyes."

Many trades and occupations have their well-recognized types of injury.
In the bottling works eyes are frequently lost through the impact of
popping corks. The bursting of unprotected water gauges caused many
cases of blindness yearly among engineers and machinists. In the
grinding trades eyes are frequently lost by bits of flying emery
becoming imbedded in the eyeball, and the Industrial Accident Commission
recommends iron or glass guards for emery wheels. In factories, quarries