Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-25
MoRTUARY TABLE TO BE FIXED
Officials Are to Be Denied a Voice in
EIections-LocaI Lodge Meetings
Monthly and Elections Every Year
Insurance Commissioners Are Pro-
posing the Reforms.

have introduced in their respective gen.
, eral assemblies at their next regular
session. The law, it is claimed, meant
great inconvenience to fraternals in til,
of the proposed law was received il
Des Moines yesterday. 1t was drafted
by the committees on fraternal insur-
lance appointed at the last regular SEES
sion Of the national convention of in
surance commissioners in Boston. c.
w. Fletcher, of Augusta, Me, is the
chairman of the committee The as
ISOLATION is composed of the state au-
ditors of the various states and ac-
at the national convention, they arr
! to introduce 1t at the next session OF
| their respective legislatures and ask
its enactment. The fraternal insurance
organizations are arranging TO give
combat to the law in all the states
land ii Will be the chief matter taken
tup at the annual session of the Asso-
ciated Fraternities of America in Mon
treal, Canada, August 4.
Fraternities' View of 1t.
! In the first section of the proposed
law, it is provided that the bylaws of
every society shall require meeting
of the subordinate lodges at least once
each month. At present fully two
thirds of the lodges of the country do
not meet more than two or three times
each year. Some of the lodges have
monthly meetings but they are far in
the minority. The general rule APP
pears to be that the members of the
lodges enter the organizations merely
for the insurance feature and not 70.
the social and rarely attend so that
it would be almost impossible TO ex-
pect them to all be present once each
month The same section requires that
every member must be initiated. With
the fraternals at present the majority
of the members are simply obligated.
II also provides that officers of the
governing body of the lodge shall have
no voice in the voting. This Will be
bitterly opposed as the organizations
claim that it is unjust that the officers
who are the most experienced mem
bers and fully cognizant of the effect
various actions will have, should be
deprived Of their vote. The average
delegate does not devote time to study
the business sufficiently to become
aware of the effect various acts will
produce.
One of the most important passages
in the bill is one that provides that
the contracts providing for the pay
meut of benefits for which there are
ba Of
the policy in this state (meaning the |
state in which the body is incorporat |
ed) This may prevent them from do |
ing so in other states.
Another restriction is that the fra |
ternals are required to specify In the
policy a distinct amount to be paid on
the happening of any certain contin
gency. This would prevent the com
panies adjusting losses in which thel
was some doubt as to the liability. An
endeavor to make this same restriction
Of fire insurance companies was made
but it was circumvented by altering
the policies so that they read not to
exceed a certain sum. Another re-
is made. specifying what the
surplus funds may be invested in.
Again a provision is made that the
association in making assessments
must make a statement of the pur
poses and the exact amount of each
purpose. AT present the fraternitieS
make assessments without notice ana
10 not specify exactly the sum for each ,
purpose but transfer the surplus from
he assessment to a general contingent
und. The bill prohibits the latter
Provision is made for the annual
Election Of officers A few OF the So
ieties have an annual election at pres ,
mt owing to the expense incurred by
.nnual meetings Some elect biennia.-
y, some triennially and some quad
ienially
Fixed Rate Table Required.
The adoption of Il fixed mortuary or
ate table is required. There is no ,
ixed rate table for the organizations
t present, each working out its own.
Special power regarding the
licensing OF organizations is vested in
insurance commissioners which the So ,
ieties fear will be abused A license
ee of 50 is fixed for each agent Just
ow far reaching this latter provision
would be is not known as a large
mount of work is done thru mem q
ers. If the members, working as they {
o at present would come under this s
equation, it would perhaps be pro-
ibitivc ,
The above is the view taken by the
ficials of the fraternal associations !
aving headquarters in Des Moines.
hey were in consultation yesterday
egardng it. There are seventy five
ocieties operating in Iowa that would =
e affected by it should the bill be- n
ONE Il law in this state. Should the
nactment extend to the union as the
rganization which drafted it desires, it
ould affect two hundred and fifty fra {
entities.
All the leading fraternities will be =
in action at once to prepare for gem
raj resistance of the bill wherever It
introduced in the state legislature
South Dakota Crops.
Huron, S. D., June 25.--The weekly
rop bulletin for this station. week of
une %. is as follows:
The nights We're generally cool, but
70 a n