Evening times-Republican., 1903-12-24
Special to Times-Repubiican.

Sitetldi "
Des Moines. Dec. 24.-Considerable
interest attaches to the selection of
of the two houses of the legislature. 1.
50 happens that two years ago, more
by accident than by design, the COM
mittees We're composed OF persons who
made it convenient to stfe all proposed
legislation of a general character re-
lating to insurance matters. The most
important bill passed relating to in
surance was one reducing certain tax
es. But ii is certain that in the coming
general assembly there Will be more
insurance legislation, and that of q
merltorious character, than for many
sessions. 1t is known that the state
auditor and the attorney general and
the governor and leading members of
both houses are all strongly in favor OF
some legislation that WIZ improve the
condition of the insurance business in
this state. The demand for an insur-
ance department. adequately supplied
with facilities for looking after the in
surance business, is growing stronger
every day. The state auditor does not
take stand for or against this plan.
hut does insist that the insurance de-
Observation-Disclosures it is a bureau or a
department-shall have enough force to
do the business and do It we'll. There
is to be strong demand for some
1, To-, 49, v6ot 4 vr-t1 vrt y
easy for men to form new companies
with practically no capital. 1t Is
pointed out that the business of organ
izing companies on the assessment or
mutual plan and pushing them hard for
a year or so that they may be sold out
is altogether too common. Old line life
insurance men complain that it is en-
tirely too easy to form companies in
Iowa and to effect CONSIDERATIONS. They
would prohibit reinsurance, thus COM
polling every company to depend upon
itself, or in case it is started by ire
sponsible parties have Its business
wound up. In fire insurance there is
demand for some additional legisla tion
to meet just such case as that tried
at Burlington in which companies re-
fuse to abide by the Iowa statute in
regard to prorating on losses. The
companies prorated on a heavy loss.
including solvent and ;nsolvent COM
panies alike, and of course the loser
failed to get all his insurance. This is
directly contrary TO the Iowa Statute.
hut practically all the companies fol-
low the practice and defy, the state.
The companies have a legal opinion by
an eminent Iowa lawyer now on the
district bench to the effect that this
clause In the Iowa law Is no good and
that they have right to ignore 1t.
Some step to make the law operative
may be taken in the legislature. But in
general state officials for several years
nave been demanding that there shall
be a general revision of the Iowa law
relating to insurance matters, and In
response to this demand leading mem
hers are preparing some bills that Wall
be pushed very hard.
The effort to form an insurance COM
pact in Des Moines has been found not
much easier now that the anti compact
statute Is out of the way than 1t was
get together They hardly get one orr
ganization formed when some member
makes complaint about some of the re-
strictions on business imposed ana
kicks over the traces. There are so
many agents and SO many different
companies represented in Des Moines
that it has been found very hard to
satisfy all of them. But it is reported
that the compacts have been pretty
generally organized thruout the state
and that the insurance people are even
better prepared than two years ago to
act quickly in bringing pressure to
bear on members of the legislature
from every corner of the state in case
OF an emergency. The insurance Or
ton two years ago was in fine
condition and the pressure came from
so many different directions that mem-
hers hardly realized the perfection of
the lobby.
Notwithstanding the adverse re-
ports of the state geologists and others
the possibility of oil being
found in Iowa drilling for oil is being
done here and there in the state. In
Page county a company has been
formed for the purpose of drilling for
OIL A driller from Kansas has been Sc
cured and the company will go at least
3, 600 feet in an effort to find oil be-
meath the surface. The project looks
like putting money in a hole and the
biologists all say that it is hope
less matter, but the prospectors will
get TO work some time during the wiis-
ter and spend considerable sum max
ing the investigations.
A fresh opportunity for j. L. Rendeil.
of this city, to break into the news
papers in defense of Christian science
is afforded by the publication of the
following paragraph in the current
of the Iowa Health Bulletin:
"rhe pathetic, if not criminal fea-
ture of Christian Science is that 1t APP
plies its methods of treating diseases
of children and irresponsible persons,
ord turns a dpaf To their cries of