Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-01-01
Al FEW STATE NEEDS.

laws for our future government.
There are a few things that have
been brought to light during the
past two years that show a crying
need of better laws.
The first thing we would have the
Legislature tackle would be the
Standard oil trust. We saw here in
this state during the past summer
the inadequacy Of the present South
Dakota laws. All of our sister
states have adopted laws that com
pei this great corporation to furnish
a better grade of oil than we get.
This was shown last summe when
the most inferior grade possible was
dumped into this state-even poorer
than our laws allow--the refuse of
all other states. When State Oil
Inspector Branch insisted on a bet
ter quality, the great corporation
fried TO run a bluff and threatened
20 have his head at the hands of
Governor Herried, but the company
reckoned without it's host, for the
governor, instead of doing their bid
ding, recognized the worth of an
inspector who insisted upon a strict
compliance with the law as it was,
and applauded his action. When
the corporation had stirred up
trouble and had all the newspapers
of the state insisting upon better
laws with greater restrictions, it at
one changed its tactics and fur
nished a better grade of oil, appar-
emily in the hope that the agitation
would cease and that ere the legis-
lature had convened their coarse
work would have been forgotten and
the session would pass without any
additional legislation, and they
could resume operations under the
present law and continue for two
years more. We hope the present
Legislature will take up and pass the
present Iowa law in regard to kero-
sene and gasoline, which is con-
sidered one of the best and most
stringent laws of the country in this
respect.
The second thing we would have
attract the attention of the coming
session is the fire insurance compan-
les. These companies have all
formed a sort of a pool relative to
rates for fire protection in this state
and their charges are nothing short
of exortion. They simply hold the
people up by the neck and take all
they haye. There is not a city or
town in South Dakota but what has
better fire protection than it had a
year ago, the insurance companies
have faid fewer losses in proportion
to the insurance written, and yet the
rates have been increased. The
companies giving as their reason
that the big fires which occurred in
the eastern states compelled them to
increase their rates to replenish
their e~xchecquers. That is their
idea of justice. Take for instance
the history Of fire insurance in Web
ster for the past year. We have put
in new water works and a splendid
fire protection system. The fire in
the Baxter building, which occurred
in a row of frame buildings while a
high wind was blowing, would have
burned the city had it not been for
the new fire protection, but its pres
enc and effective work confined the
fire to the one building, and il was
not so damaged but it was repaired
under the fire ordinance. How
have the insurance companies shown
their appreciation of our efforts to
protect them from loss by fire-for
they are the greatest losers in case
of a Dad blazer They came and
made a new appraisement and made
practically a aat raise Of twenty five
per cent. The citizens have no
recourse but to meet The raise. The
Legislature, on the other hand, has
the power. We hope it will use it
and pass the law with an emergency
clause fixing q maximum rate, and a
reasonable one. and making Ell poli.