The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-02
ATTEMPT TO ABOLISH
INSURANCE ABUSES
Measures introduced I'm House
Would Exclude Board
Companies

Insurance companies and railroads
are the principal defendants in bills
presented in the house yesterday.
Two anti-compact insurance bills
made their appearance. Both aim to
prevent board insurance companies
from doing business in the state, and
both provide what are believed by
their authors to be remedies for al
legged abuses of the compact plan.
The H. w. Putnam bill provides that
on complaint of two persons the state
Insurance commissioner may take tes-
timony, and If the case is proved may
revoke the license of the offending
company. An appeal within twenty
days is provided, when the case shall
be tried de novo. Statements of wit
nesses at the hearings shall not be
used against them in criminal prose-
cutions.
The bill proposed by G. w. Thomp-
son of Faribault requires insurance
companies to file by May l of each
year affidavits that they have not en-
tered into compacts during the year.
Any attempt to evade the law by
agreeing on one person to make rates
or to buy a rate book is to be a vio-
lation of the terms of the act. The
state insurance commissioner is given
the right to cancel the license of any
company not complying with the. reg
ulation. A false statement is to be
treated as perjury, punishable by fine
of from 500 to $1,000 and a Jail pun
ishment is also named.
Experienced Engineers
w. ]. Nolan of Hennepin would re-
quire three years actual experience
as locomotive fireman or one years
experience as a locomotive engineer as
prerequisite to employment as an
engineer on any railroad. Strong pen
alties are provided for both the en-
pioye and the employer for any VIOLA
ton of the conditions.
DR.. j. A. Gates of Kenyon aims to
give the state railway commission au-
thority to establish fiagmen, safety de-
wees or other safeguards at grade
crossings within village limits. The
bill provides for hearings by the COM
mission, and sixty days are then given
IL the case is proved against them for
the railroads to install the preyen
tives.
Z. a Gandrud of Kandiyohi is father
or a bill extending the prohibition
against railroads raising TRANSPORTS
tlon rates without the authority of the
state railway commission to terminal
and switching rates
Edward Tanning of StewartvilIe IA
theirs two original bills. One is in
tended to prevent differentiation of
mercantile stocks for assessment pur-
poses in cities of $4,000 population and
over. 1t provides that owners of such
STOCKS shall file with the assessor the
list ana amount of insurance that they
nave carried on the stocks and that no
assessment for less than the average
amount of the insurance for the nre-
Fious year shall be legal. Failure to
ME such a. list makes the taxes levied
lncontesible, and a false statement fs
to be treated as perjury.
The second Tanning bill relates IN
the asphalt trust. 1t aims to prohihit
any patented article or the use of anv
artlcle In which patented prepara-
e.on enters being used in paving any
street, alley or way in any cftylor tou,n
In the state. II is claimed that creo-
dlne and creosote. both patented arti-
cies, are the asphalt trusts strongest
competitors, and they would suffer ~
the Dill ever became a law.
New House Bills
II. f. No. 449: BY w. l. Nolan-To re-
quhe engineers on passenger trains To
nave mad three years experience as a
VI Ollc experience
engineer. Labor and labor legislat ton
ID. +. No. $50: BY Putnam-To prevent
combinations of fire insurance comnanies
10 regulate rate OF insurance or commits
sion paid TO agents. Insurance
n +; No. 451: BY ]. A. Gates-To. COM
pei pc railroad companies to maintain gates,
nagmen, or other safety devices in vii,
lagos upon order of the railroad and
warehouse commission. Railroads.
II. r. 452: BY ]. B. Kelly-To re-
quire the clerk TO record all orders made
10y the district court or judge thereof.
H. F. No. 45S: BY Dorsey-To appro-
pirate 5000 for a bridge in the village OF
1rownton Roads and bridges.
II. F. No. Asa: BY Handlan-To pre-
C cerIe tne use OF ferrets in hunting rabbits.
II; F. No. 455: BY Thompson-To pro-
hlblt combinations in fixing fire insurance
rates. Insurance
III. F. No. 456: BY Hugo-To regulate
the issuance of warehouse receipts by
public warehouse men. Grain and ware
H. F. No 457: BY 6andrud-To applv
the law preventing the raising of railroad
rates to the switching and terminal
charges. Railroads.