The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-12
STATE
LEGISLATIVE
TOPICS.


TOPICS.
Senator Grouse, of Philadelphia, in COM
pliance with the request of policy holders,
who claim that certain life insurance COM
panies Improperly divert moneys collected
from them to other purposes than the pay
ment of death benefits and the legitimate
expenses of operating the companies, has
introduced two bills to remedy this al
legged irregularity. The first bill directs the
insurance commissioner to examine each
and ali of the life insurance companies
doing business under his supervision and
within the commonwealth, which issue
any so-called tontine or semi-tontine poll
cies for the purpose of ascertaining
whether or not any portion of the moneys
collected by the said companies are being
used and expended by the companies from
the credit or benefit of the policy holders
SO contributed and paying the same. In
case 1t shall be found that any life insur-
ance companies are now using any por-
tion of such tontine or semi tontine aC-
cumulations, and diverting the same trom
the credit or benefit of the policy holders,
the insurance commissioner snail adJudSe
such company to have diverted and mis-
appropriated the funds of its policy bold
er. and shall forthwith revoke and cancel
the license to do business in this common
wealth heretofore granted; and he snail
not relicense any such company to do
| business in this commonwealth until he
| shall be satisged' by careful examination
| that all of the funds so diverted and mis-
appropriated as aforesaid have been made
| good and placed to the credit and for the
| benefit of the policy holders entitled to the
same. The second bill applies to the mu-
| tual assessment corporations for the IN
surance of lives and directs such COM
| panies which collect from their members
J larger sums of money than are required
| to pay death losses and current expenses
| to set apart and hold all such sums trust
| for the exclusive use and benefit of the
| members contributing the same. The In
surance commissioner Is required to ADOPT
| and prescribe such rules and regulations
| in his supervision of all such companies
and in the report of such companies made
| to him under existing laws, as will insure &
strict compliance with the provisions oI
this act. No such company having neg
! lccted to comply with the rules ana reSu'
| lations so prescribed after due notilica'
ton by him shall do any new business
within this state while such neglect con
tinues. The bill does not apply to bene
| violent and beneficial societies or lodges.
ill
The Grangers, through their leader in the
| house Representative Martin, have pre-
sented a bill to not only limit the sale Of
oleomargarine and butterne, but to pre-
vent it's use by hotels and eating houses
| The bill is entitled "An act to prevent de
ception and fraud in the manufacture, salt
| and use of imitation of dairy products
| 1t requires every manufacturer of ant
| dealer in olcomargarine or butterine Il
put in up in oblong packages, having stcn
cilled on 1t in letters not less than one
half inch long, the name of the product
| Every manufacturer is required to pay al
| annual license fee of $1,000, every whole
| saler $500 and every retailer 500. Proprie
tors of hotels, restaurants. boarding hous
es and places where meals are served arr
termed retailers and, in addition to payin:
a license, are required to procure signs set
ting forth the fact that they deal in oleo
margarine or buttcrine, and these sign
they are required to hang in conspicuou
places. A hotel keeper is compelled t.
hang one on each of the four walls of hi
dining room to thus inform his guest
that they are served with oleomargarin
instead of butter. The violation of tn
act is a misdemeanor punishable by
fine of not less than 800 or imprisonmcn
not more than thirty days, and coniisca
ton of the oleomargarine and butterin
found in the premises.
-:II:-
One of the new ballot bills under con
| sideration by the house judiciary genera
committee has a disability section that re
quires the voter who can't read, or is ply
| sically or otherwise unable to mark III
ballot, to swear specifically as to what
the matter with him. while his helper mus
swear that he will not attempt to intluenc
him or disclose how he votes. The inspec
tors must write in the record of vote
'Helped by John Smith, because of vot
er's sore finger" or whatever other ret
son there may be. Chairman Boyer say
he will offer an amendment requiring a
| l,l, n cnbsprihp "A
ment, supervised by the election judg
giving the names and addresses of a
citizens recorded as having voted tha
day For any fraud in this penalty {
two years in jail is proposed. This state
ment must be sent in separate sealed ei
Velope, with the ballot box, TO the pre-
thonotary, where it shall be open fC
public information. Then it will be know
that if a citizen named in that list di
not vote there was a case of repeating
and the person who voted but does not st
I his name will also have case. In tn
connection Representative Dunlap,
Philadelphia, has introduced a bill increa
: ing from one year to five years the max
t | mum imprisonment for fraudulent votin
: -:II:-
. Says the Harrisburg correspondent
the Philadelphia Ledger Efforts We
S made at the last two sessions of the lei
[ | islature to pass bills imposing tax upc
, the products Of breweries in the state Il
the purpose of assisting in raising Il
| revenue. In 1893 the bill called for ta
of 16 cents on each barrel of beer, a
or porter brewed, but the brewers succee
| ed in having it defeated In 1885 the b
: was reintroduced, but the brewers, fee
e ing secure, paid no attention to the pr
|. posed tax, and the bill was buried in
:. senate committee, though it had pass,
the house. Now, in the house, the bill bo
nm N another shane. 1t was DreSent
by Mr.. Bliss, of Delaware, and proYid
that a tax of one-half of one cent shf
be assessed upon each gallon of beer, a
t and porter brewed in the state, to be pa
= annually, during 1897, 1898 and 1899. Int
q yiduals and corporations engaged in L
manufacture of these liquors are requir
5 to certify under oath the amount brew
by them, and any deception in their l
ports or refusal to comply with the q
= makes them liable to have their licen
revoked.
/ --:Il:-
II In his address Wednesday before I
"a state association of school directors Go
ernor Hastings said: II want to ia
advantage of the opportunity to say tn
the state of Pennsylvania is big enou
and rich enough to provide Nberally /
the education of every child within
borders. The present system of distribl
ing the school appropriation of $55OO,OOl
added the governor, "iS not fair to /
real interests involved. The number
taxables Is not the proper basis. Ea
school house with its appliances COS
about as much whether attended by t
or fifty pupils It the state appropriate
was increased to $4,000 900 a year ! wOl
suggest that one-thrd of that amou
should be divided on the number of scht
houses or teachers, one-third according
the number Of school children and I