The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-04
new ELECTION BILL
1T WAS PASSED BY THE HOUSE
YESTERDAY TO PLEASE
MIR. ROBERTS
HAIL INSURANCE PROBLEM

House Spent Some Time In an Effort
to Find 81 Way to Make Hail In
surance Companies Pay just
Claims Against Them and Secure
Their Policy Holders Against
Loss.
The house passed five. bills yesterday
at the morning session, but the at
tendance of members was small, but
eighty responding to a call of the house
on the Roberts election bill At the af-
ternoon session there was a much light
er attendance. and the house went into
the. committee of the whole, recon-
mending six bills for passage.
The election bill of Mr.. Roberts
(RepO. of Hennepin, was passed by a
vote of &C. to II, those opposing tho
measure being Messrs. Deach, Cunning,
Feeney. Fosnes. Henderson, Johnson, j..
E.. Marin. Peterson. X, Plowman,
Sander. Sloan, Staples. Stivers, Truwe.
Won Lehe, Weston and Wilkinson.
There was considera Die debate on the
bill amending the act relating to
mutual hail insurance companies. The
measure was introduced by the CON-
mittee on insurance as a substitute for
II. F.'s 81 and 1856. and was on general
orders. The principal change was that
it allowed the directors to levy an as
seSSment of not to exceed two and a
half mills on each dollar of insurance
in force in any one year. to provide for
a guaranty fund. The bill also pro-
vided that whenever the total losses
and expenses in any one year exceeded
the amount collected from a full as
cent Of the guaranty fund might be
taken to pay all losses and expenses
in full
Mr.. Jacobson (Rep), of Lac qui Parle,
protested against any such law. He
mentioned one company which collect
ed last year $4,000 and paid losses
amounting only to $4,000, which left
balance for expenses of over $4,000. :
Mr.. Riley RepD, of Jackson, said
officers of these companies to perpet-
uate themselves in office and fix sal
aries.
: Mr.. Jacobson was sure that the peo-
pie had been gulled by the class of men
who run the hail insurance companies
as long as they should be. 1t was
claimed that the companies helped the
farmers, but any benefit which cost
ninety cents to get ten cents worth of
as conducted by the majority of the
companies in this line was nothing
more than legalized robbery. There
was not one company which had paid
25 per cent of the money collected for
losses. Unless a better law could be
secured it would be for the interests Of
the farmers to wipe out the present
law. The company he mentioned did
business in Mower county and last year
cd nd
$4,000, and he supposed the remaining
$1,000 was spent in what the proposed
bill called reasonable expenses. He in
sisted that the companies be forced to
do business on business principles or
go out of business.
Mr. Fosnes CUnion), Of Chippewa,
opposed the guaranty fund proposition
on the ground that the majority OF
policy holders only held insurance for
one year. and the person was mem
Der of the company only as long as the
policy lasted There were but two posi-
tions to be taken by the insurance COM
panies. either pay in full or not have
guaranty fund. In some years not one
of the mutual hail insurance companies
paid more than so per cent of their
losses Four-fifths of the money col
lected in the shape of guaranty fund
would in the end be divided among the
officers of the companies.
The guaranty sections were knocked
out and the bill recommended for pas
sage.
STATE IMMIGRATION BOARD.
H. F. 4S7, by Mr. Thauwald Rep.),
of Ramsey, creates and establishes for
a term of two years after the passage
Of the act "a board of immigration
Of tho state of Minnesota"
The board is to consist of five men,
bers, in addition to the governor and
secretary of state, who are made eX-
off1cio members. No compensation Is
to be paid to any member Of the board,
and the travelling expenses of each
member is limited to 5000 per year.
The board, other than the governor
and secretary Of state, Is to consist Of
the secretary of the state agricultural
society, chairman of each of the sem
ate and house committees on immigra-
ton and chairmen of the committees
on immigration of each of the CONNER
cial clubs of the cities of st. Paul and
Minneapolis. In case of vacancies from
any cause during the term the same
are to be filled by the governor, but at
no time are more than two members
to be from the same congressional dis
tAGt. The board is given power to ap-
pedient committees of three members
to be known as immigration commits
sioners, who shall serve without pay
at the pleasure of the board.
1t is made the duty of the board to
foster desirable immigration to the
undeveloped agricultural lands of the
state; to collect and compile statistics
and information concerning climate
and resources of the state and provide
for the dissemination of the same
The board is also given full authority
to provide and maintain public ex-
hibits Of the natural and industrial
products of the state.
A secretary shall be appointed and
paid reasonable compensation, to be
fixed by the board. The sum of SIS, 600
annually for 1899 and 1900 is appropri-
ated by the bill to be expended by the
board upon order of the governor for
the purposes exclusively of expenses
incurred under the act by the board
The bill was sent to the committee
on immigration.
DID HE MEAN "JAKE?"
Mr. Gait Rep.), of Freeborn. at
tempted to shut off the food OF cratory