The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-10-26
Insurance Commissioner Change
Proposed.

There ere indications that the pro-
ject for special insurance department,
with a commissioner at its head, has a
bureau of promotion. Certain matter
issued by aspirants to the office of
commissioner, with its $4,000 salary
and 5000 allowance for clerk hire, and
certain editorial articles in some of the
newspapers, bear suggestive similar
ity.
The insurance commissioners, under
existing law, are the secretary of State
and State treasurer The literary matter
in question sets forth that the salary of
each of these officials is 81 700 annual
ly, and that they receive, further, sixty
per cent of the fees paid by the insur-
ance companies, q sum which, the
"bureau" is informed, amounted
last year to $4,000. This money, di-
vided equally between the two officers
in question and added to the salary at
tached to the Office of secretary and
treasurer, makes "the snug little sal
airy of $4,000 EACH" Thus the crea-
ton of the Office of insurance commits
sioner, with the salary proposed, would
effect material saving to the State.
So reason the promoters of this scheme.
Now, the foregoing statement en-
bodies one of those half truths that are
30 exceedingly convincing, until the
other half is brought out. Then con-
viction wanes. Nothing is said in this
plausible showing about any personal
expenses attached to the Office of State
treasurer or secretary of State. While
the proposed law creating new insur-
ance department provides for the COM
missioner a salary of $4,000, and for
clerk hire 5000 more, both the secre-
tary of State and the State treasurer
pay out of salary of $1,7OO each from
800 to 81 900 annually for clerk hire
and other expenses. The net salary of
these officials does not exceed 81 900
each.
Both are charged with very RESPONSE
BILE duties. The treasurer gives bond of
800, 900, for which he pays the security
company 5000. He receives and dis
burses annually million and half of
dollars, more or less. Now, does the
State of Vermont expect to hire
q man to perform the labor incl
dent to handling this sum of money,
carry all the responsibility entailed, give
a bond for 100000, for the paltry net
sum of 81 900 or less? The question
answers itself. Conceding. as the "bu-
reau" affirms, that he gets one-half of
$4,000 for his duties and labors as in
surance commissioner, and add this to
his net salary as treasurer, making an
aggregate of some 2,50O-instead of
SO, 300-for the combined services of
treasurer and insurance commissioner,
is that an excessive salary? But it is
now proposed to pay man and his
clerk $4,000 annually in the insurance
department alone. Take away the COM
pensation with which, as insurance
commissioner, the treasurer ekes out
his meager net salary, it is clear that
the State must at once prepare to re-
place the compensation thus Topped
off by largely increasing the salary of
this official.
A similar state of facts pertains to
the Office of secretary of State. No
man of adequate ability and equipment
for this Office will be found at net
salary of about $1,000. Take away the
income the secretary gets from the
insurance branch of his office, and the
State must inevitably increase the sal
airy of the secretary alone. The Office is
one of high responsibility. No man of
mediocre, or of ordinary, ability could
be intrusted with the important BUSH
ness, for example, of preparing for and
supervising the publication of the laws
biennially enacted. And this is but
one item in large bill of particulars
which it is not necessary to go into in
detail.
There seems to be no sound reason
for creating the proposed insurance de-
partment. No expense to the State
will be saved. Increased expenditure,
rather, must be the result. No greater
efficiency of administration will be
gained. The treasurer and the secre-