The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-25
REPORT WAS LONG DELAYED
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF INSURANCE
COMMISSIONER aOfsHAUGHNEssY
is JUST OUT
Inadequate, Printing Facilities and
the sn,aii Appropriation for the
Departni ,Af Are Blamed by the
Commissioners for the Delay.

The annual report Of Insurance Com
missioner J. A. OShaughnessy,. covering
the insurance transactions in this S ate
for 1885, has lust been printed and IS
ready for distribution. The report comes
in two volumes, the first covering life in
surance, and the second fire and marine.
Nearly 100000 are paid into the state
treasury annually In fees by insurance
companies, but the department has been
greatly crippled because Of deficiency In
it's. annual appropriation. The commits
sioner, commenting on the subject, says:
Inadequate printing facilities and the
failure of the legislature to appropriate
sufficient funds for the employment Of a
competent clerical force in this office,
are directly responsible for the long de-
lay in issuing this report, And my pre-
decessors We're frequently forced to even
longer delays. These difficulties also COM
pei M, to restrict the matter herein SIM
ply to condensed abstract Of the buSl-
ness and standing of each company or
society and to a limited number Of COM
paratiVe tabulated statements deduced
tberefrom. Annual reports from other de-
partments are in the hands Of the pub
lie, in many instances, as early as March,
April and May, and but few statements
are delayed later than July This depart
ment collects from insurance companies
and agents about $4,000 each year and
turns it over to the state treasurer for
| the use and benefit Of the state. yet the
legislature not only fails to provide means
for furnishing satisfactory reports to tho
people, who pay in this money, but allow
little or nothing, comparatively, for clerk
hire tO a
actual cost OF postage necessary to tie
correspondence Of the department. This
is a fragrant Injustice to the people ard
companies who contribute these thou
sands of dollars in fees and taxes. as
we'll as to the fnsuring public, who are
all entitled to attention, information, and
supervision, that 1t is impossible to give
SO long as the department is crippled by
the penny-wise and pound foolish policy
so long in practice in Minnesota. Could
this department have secured an Oper-
ating expense appropriation Of say $1,000
to 5000, [ am confident the increased
facilities, resulting therefrom would, to
speak very conserV ltively, increase The
revenues of The state a number Of tines
that amount Aside from the fairness
and justice to the public ard to the COM
panies who pay these fees and, taxes, it
would be money well invested by the
state. In proportion to the revenues col
lected, the amount allowed by the legis-
lature for tee maintenance Of the depart
ment is ridiculouslH smaller than in the
case Of any other state in the United
States. 1t is little short of. an outrage
upon the rights of the insuring public
and the companies who pay in these enor-
nous revenues, as well as a shame ard
disgrace to the state. If the only pur-
pose OF this department were to co lect
fees and taxes, even this would Justify
adequate facilities for doing the work;
but in a department of this character,
where careful supervision is the ma n
purpose and intent for the protection of
insurable interests Of the lives and prop
erty Of our citizens, there seems absolute
~ no excuse for the deplorable condition
which I find existing"