Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-03
Annual Report of the Commissioners of the District

~ L
gress win Cooperate, with the Commits
sioners in producinR this much-desired re-
| suit.
The Excise Board.
| The Commissioners submit the following
summary of the operations or the excise
board for the LIQUOR license year ending
October 81. 1907:
The number of applications for liquor
licenses for the year ending October 81.
| 1907, was: Barrooms filed. 5is: granted.
81: rejected. "a: wholesale, filed. iao;
| granted, 142; rejected. 10. For the LIQUOR
| license year commencing November 1,
1907, and ending October 81, 1908, 5l7 APP
! plications for barroom licenses and l39
| applications for wholesale liquor licenses
have been filed.
Smokeless Locomotives.
The Commissioners desire to ask Con-
, gress again to bring locomotive engines
within the requirements of the smoke law
While, as a result of the efforts made in
| the last Congress to have them included
under the requirements of this legislation,
| the railroads operating within the District
or Columbia have considerably reduced
the smoke nuisance caused by their loco
motives through the use of coke and
other fuels and under careful instructions
to their enginemen supplemented by in
spection and punishment for violations,
this is a purely voluntary means OF deal
ing with the matter and ought to be re-
placed by positive law. A change in the
officers or in the policies OF the railroads
might end the present effort to reduce
the locomotive smoke nuisance. More
over. the railroads ought to be under the
requirements of the law quite as much as
bhe plant owners OF the District of CO.
lumbia. who are among our most reputa-
| bic citizens. Justice to them, justice to
the whole community and the preservation
of the beauty of the National capital re-
qufre that the railroads should be brought
under the smokdlaw. The Union station,
as well as the national and municipal
public buildings, is threatened by the rail-
road smoke. so that 1t Is hoped that the
railroads themselves will see the neces-
sity of the action herein recommended.
Insurance.
The superintendent of insurance reports
that the work of his Office has been well
advanced. arrears having been greatly re-
duced since increases were made in his
staff which enabled him to meet the de-
mands Of the office. With the additional
assistance which he requests he believes
that the office would be on a par with
those of other jurisdictions having q SINH.
lar amount of work.
The department of insurance Is the new.
est bureau of the District government,
having been created by the code, which
went into effect January 1, 1902, prior to
WHICH date there was practically no SUI
pervision over insurance companies, their
agents or solicitors. AS a natural conse-
quence the conditions were deplorable.
and the District was overrun with ire
sponslble companies of every description.
The superintendent has been greatly
handicapped, through the deficient and
ambiguous laws now In force, in Kidding
the community Of these most undesirable
institutions and preventing others from
commencing operations here. Almost
from the inception OF the department he
has been engaged in an effort to secure
legislation under which he will be able to
administer the duties of his office with
more dispatch, and give the companies
and the public better protection
He Is at present engaged in preparing
bill to be submitted to Congress at It's
coming session, which Is intended to con-
tain the best features of the bills consid-
cred by the judiciary committees of Con-
gress at its last session and of the best
laws enacted in the meantime by the vari-
Gus state legislat ures, with a view to
curing for the District Insurance laws
that may serve as a model.
Notwithstanding the unsatisfactory con-
dition of the laws through their strict en-
forcement in the matter of excluding COM
panies and the refusal to admit doubtful
ing business here, taken as a whole. now
compare favorabiyia with those In any
state In the union. So
1t is the intention Of the superintendent
to publish in the near future directory
containing the names and address of all
companies and agents licensed to trans
act business in the District of Columbia
which publication will be furnished to
such companies and agents. This publica-
ton will serve to relieve the companies
and agents from many embarrassments
caused by their paying commissions to So
hcitors and others who are not licensed
to transact the business Of insurance.
Among the most urgent needs in the
way of legislation Is the enactment of a
resident agents law" to protect the Dis
trict in the matter of collecting taxes, by
requiring Insurance policies and renewal
receipts to be counters!gned by agents
who are located here.
The work Of making official detailed ex-
aminat.ons of the District companies and
associations has been commenced within
the current calendar year and is still in
progress.
The amount collected from companies
for taxes on their premium receipts was
$62 5.O9; and there was received for lie
censes to companies. agents. solicitors
censes. $t3.2127 10. making the total rev.
enues Of the department for the year
The total expenses OF conducting the
department amounted TO
The total amount paid in premiums in
the District for insurance Of all kinds
during the calendar year was 5000 6O4 D.
which was $500. 1882 in excess of the
amount paid In 1905.
The total amount paid for losses in the
District was S2.O32. S2395. which exceeds
the amount paid the previous year by
$402, $50 90.
The aggregate amount of assets of the
company and associations reporting to the
department on December 49, 1906 was
$3.219, 44O471.14. and the liabilities
amounted to S2,633 i33,9l1.04: surplus in
Guiding capital 1886. O06, $50 20.
The amount of insurance written in the
District during the year 1906 was $751;
$50, 1920.
Construction of Union Station.
About 95 per cent of the total work on
elimination of grade crossings and the
construction of the Union station has
been completed. The Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company moved into the sta
ton October 81. 1897. although there still
remained at that date good deal of
finishing work to be done. The other rail-
road lines entering the city occupied the
station November IL. The new line of the
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington
railroad, from the Union station to Ma
gruder station, in Maryland. over which
It's passenger trains will enter the sta