Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-13

regulations. which only allow a commits
sion or 10 per cent, and that only to their
members or licensed solicitors, who must
pay the board so for a license. This reg
uIatlon Is more honored in its breach than
| in its observance by the very men who
were crying the loudest for the enactment
Of the prophSed law. There was a storm of
opposition raised among the smaller brok-
ers and some writing agents against this
DILL which resulted in a memorial being
sent to Congress protesting against the IL
cenSe clause in the bill. This memorial
which was signed by over go brokers and
agents. evidently had the desired effect as
the bill did not become a law.
But at the present session of Congress a
similar bill has been introduced which
though adroitly worded, contains the same
objectionable feature as the last one II is
no" proposed to charge license fee of SO
Tor the privilege of soliciting insurance for
one company, which is to be named in the
Incense. or the charge will be $50 for the
privilege of soliciting for any or all conn
panles. The SO license is a mere son as
the majority of brokers will require the
other license, fnasmuch as they cannot suc-
cesSfully solicit insurance for one cor1nany
Al present if broker has a loan to
Place' the corporation granting the loan
controls the insurance but paws the broker
a commission on it; but under the proposed
law, the broker must have a license 70 So
licIt for the writing company or a general
Incense or he Will be barred from obtaining
the commission
Real estate brokers have to pay so per
year incense fee, and that should certainly
pe enough to enable them to carry on tho
business in all its branches one of which a.
sohciung insurance. AT the present time
the writer is about to renew a policy of in
surance Tor a client, on which he will ra-
cetVe commission, but IL the pronosa3 Ian,
Is enacted he would get nothing for the
simple reason that he already paws so ner
year Tor the privilege of doing business and
ms income from that business will NOT ms
Try further outlay. The Inevitable resui+
OF this license tax will be to take from The
small broker that little which he hath and
give IL 70 a few large firms and corpora
LIONS; Whicn VIII eventually result in a mo-
nopoty of the whole business in the hsnS
of the favored few N'
In regard to the other features of the hill
mere can pc no objection. as the object TO
De attained is official supervision over ali
companies doing business in the Disfrict
Ihls law will protect the public from ire
spohsiple companies, and in a measure
guarantee the policy of insurance
one OF the arguments advanced by the
advocates OF the license feature of the bnl
Is that II Will put out Of business ''irresnon-
siple solicitors and brokers'" Now, there is
absolutely no ground for argument Regards
ing the responsibility of a SOLICITOR He
may be a thief or a cheat but there is no
way by which he can rob the assured. IF
deo receives an application for insurance he
aoes not receive the pay for it until he de-
MYERS the policy, and with the policy I'm his
possession II makes no difference to the as
sured what the solicitor does with the pre-
mum. as that Is a question to be settled
by the company and the solicitor WIZ
proper ofhcial supervision over the COM
panles. solicitor could only obtain a nolIc,,
IN good company. Therefore the assured
responsible or not 40
Let Congress strike out the obnoxious IL
cense clause, and not lend itself TO any
scheme that drives out healthy cornnetitIon
ana crushes out honest men who are al
ready heavily taxed to carry on their bus
iness- REAL ESTATE BROKER