The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-01-16

vival of interest in masonry in Kenosha.
$50 mote it be-
The Kenosha Fire Department held its
regular annual meeting Monday evening,
Jan. 18th, in the City Council room and
elected officers for the ensuing year. The
following named gentlemen were elected:
Presidential. W. Marsh.
Vice President--Philip Hartman.
Secretary-E. Dewey.
Treasurer-Geo. D. Head.
Collector-Jno. Krethen.
Chief Engineer-James Barr:
1st Assistant-C. F. Stemm.
I'd Assistant-R. E. Mailer.
Sd Assistant-Jno Iserman.
FIRE WARDENs.
LIST ward e. r. Head
I'd ward-C. F. Stemm.
Sd ward-Jos. Scully.
4th ward-J. A. Williams.
The attention of the department was
called to the fact that the laws relating to
the payment of two per cent. of all premi-
ums paid for fire insurance in force in Ke-
nosha were not being enforced. There is
a law on the statute books (Chap. 3O8,
Laws of 1850 which requires that "there
shall be paid on the first dav of February
in each year to the treasurer Of any city or
village < x = having or maintaining reg
ularly organized fire department. by
every underwater who hall effect any fire
insurance, and by every person who shall
act as agent for any fire insurance corpora
ton or underwater whatever, in such city,
village or town, a duty of two per centum
upon the amount of all premiums which
during the year or part of a year ending On
the next preceding first day of January,
shall have been received by such under
writer or agent, or by any other person for
him, or shall have been agreed to be paid
for any insurance effected, or agreed to be
effected, or promised by him as such agent
or otherwise, against loss or injury by fire."
"And no person shall in any such city, vii
lage or town, as underwater, agent or 9TH
erwise, effect or agree to effect or procure
to be effected any insurance upon which the
above duty IS required to be paid, until he
shall have executed and delivered to such
treasurer a bond in the sum of one thousand
dollars, with such sureties as such treasurer
shall approve, conditioned that he will an
nually render to such treasurer on the first
day of February in each year, a just and
trne account, verified by his affidavit, of
all premiums which during the year ending
on the first of January preceding such re-
port shall have been received by him or
any other person for him or agreed to be
paid for any insurance against loss or injury
by fire, X x and that he will annually, on
the first day of FEBRUARY, pay to the said
treasurer two per centqm upon the full
amount of such premiums" The law pro-
vides a penalty of 500 for each ofense
against the above law. The fire department,
it seems.is receiving annually from premiums
on insurance in force in Kenosha about one
third of what it formerly received The
department formerly received in the neigh
borhood of 5000 from the percentage on
those premiums, whereas now 1t receives a
little over 5000, and that whe cry much
more insurance is carried here now than
formerly. The difficulty is that the law is
not enforced. There is another law, (Chap.
1856, Laws of 1887 which requires: (Section
q that the owner or owners of all property |
situated in any city or village in this state,
insured in any fire insurance company not
authorized by the laws of this state to do
business therein, shall be liable to the fire
department of the city or village in which
such property is or may be situated, for the
two per cent. tax required by law to be
paid to such fire department by such insur
ance company, and such tax may be recov-
cred in a civil action brought in the name
of the city or village, the fire department of
which is entitled to said tax"
It is stated that insurance to the amount
of several hundred thousand dollars is be-
ing carried in this city by companies that
are not authorized or licensed to do business
in this state. The fire department loses
nearly all of it's percentage on premiums on
such insurance. The owners of property
insured in such companies are liable to the
city for the percentage on their premiums
and ought to be required either to deal with
companies licensed to do business in this
state and such as may be obliged to pay the
percentage, or they should be obliged to
paw it themselves. The law is on the stat
ute books for the benefit of the fire depart
ments and should not be allowed to be
dead letter in Kenosha. Our fire depart
ment deserves the support of our citizens.