The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-13
INSURANCE LEGISLATION NEEDED.
Delay I'm Naming u Commissioners
Sharply Criticised.

/ INSURANCE LEGISLATION NEEDED.
Delay I'm Naming u Commissioners
sharply Criticised.
| GOV Clough, in the opinion Of the in
| Surance mem of Minnesota, is doing the
insurance interests of the state great
injustice by his delay in filling the
vacancy caused by the death of In
| Surance Commissioner Smith. The de-
partment has always been short hand
| ed and all the reports of recent years
| have calledsattention to the necessity
| OF additional help. During the year
previous torthe death of Mr.. Smith,
that gentleman was unable to do any
work. whichdoubled the duties of Dep
uty Insurance Commissioner Light
bourne. SoIrlong as Mr.. Smith was
alive nobody made any complaint
| about the crippled condition Of the de-
partment, but when the vacancy oc-
CURED, thesdnsurance men and those
interested In that branch Of the state
business expected that the governor
would fill the place at once. Petitions
from the underwriters of both cities
were at once filed with the governor,
III gtng the appointment Of the present
deputy, but for some reason the gov
ernor has kept putting it off and for
months Mr.. Lightbourne has continued
to perform the work of commissioner
L0OuRnt
that Gov. Cloughs delay is to make
use OF the position in his present cam
palgn Twenty people want the place
and half that many are confident that
the governor will recognize their claim
II ne is reelected. Nineteen will ac-
cord1ngly be disappointed. On the
other hand the governors friends say
1t was hardly worth while to fill the
posltlon II a new man is selected as
chlef executive Of the state, who will
TURN over the office Jan. 1. That, how
ever, 1t is claimed has nothing to do
with helping the need at the present
time of having the position filled. The
once IS interested in some legislation
winch VIII be necessary at the coming
session and it takes time to frame it
up. Inc new insurance law passed last
year was full of errors, many Of them
CLERICAL which 1t is thought should be
Strengthened out at the coming session
OF the legislature. If Deputy Insurance
commissioner Lightbourne has any
thing to say about 1t he will try to
have the law put in shape
But / don't know what to do about
1T" says Mr.. Lightbourne II might
think that a number of changes would
Improve the law and spend lot Of
time IN getting them in shape, when
somebody would come in here as COM
missioner who would have altogether
dl1erent ideas about it. My work
would therefore be useless / think
however, that Immediately after cleo
ton l will commence to give some at
tent1on to the matter any way, and If
such changes as I think are necessary.
together with the corrections of the
clerical errors in the present law, should
meet the approval of the next COM
missioner, So much the better The
work will be so that we can have it
nl2nP6 hQfnJSa fha rsy11 +1,,oa
the session. Our experience during the
last legislature emphasized the neces-
stty of getting an early start if we ex-
pect to get anything through"
Mr.. Llghtbourne does not know
whether or not the insurance men will
also have SEINE amendments to offer
which will obviate the use of the vari-
Gus riders now attached to the various
policies used. Some of the riders are
especially unwieldy, but if The various
agents Of the state have laid in sup
ply of the blanks at present
used with the riders, etc., and should
be compelled to abandon their use.
1t would in the aggregate represent a
little loss. There is little doubt, how
ever, that some tinkering will be done
TO the bill as 1T now stands. 1t is said
that an attempt will be made to re-
peal the valued policy clause in the
present law, but it is doubtful if that
III
be done at the suggestion of some other
than the insurance interests Of the
state, for the average Minnesota sIegis-
latorsfs more than suspicious OF any
legislation sought by the insurance
people as between the insurance com
panies and prospective assurers.
One law which the insurance men
Will endeavor to place on the statue
books will be to regulate the licensing
or agents at country points. There
has been good deal of complaint be-
cause OF the cheap competition at these
points.
new law regulating assessment
companies will be presented to the
legislature this winter and will have
as warm companion senator who
introduced a similar law at the last
session of the legislature. He intro
duced the bill then by request and only
took a passing interest in it. The re-
suit was that 1t dragged along through
the entire session and, while 1t did
eventually pass the senate, its pro-
gre5S in the house was so DELAYED that
1t never reached final passage. That
same senator was in the office Of the
insurance commissioner Saturday ask
ing about the bill. He has, it seems
nad an unpleasant experience with an
assessment company since the last ses-
sion Of the Legislature. and pronoses
thlS winter to make it his business RI
see that new assessment law is in
troduced which will not die q natural
death IN either branch of the legisla-
ture. 1t villa either be passed or the
senator will learn the reason WHY.
Then Mr.. Lightbourne informed the
senator that's he had kept a draft of
the bill and1iwith that to work upon
Will frame a. new assessment law in
TENDED to more thoroughly protect the
interests of those who have dealings
with assessment companies.