Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-26
PENSION BILLS IN HOUSE
Three Hundred and Eighty Private
Measures Passed in shsrt Time.
KAHN TALKS ON FIRE INSURANCE
Californian Says German Companies
Refuse to settle Frisco Losses,
While British Companies
Pay I'm Full.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.-The house to-
day passed a number of bills of a local
nature, including $50 private pension bills.
The agricultural appropriation bill was
then taken up and while 1t was under con-
slderation, hepi esentative Kahn of Cali
fornia, addressed the house fire in
surance companies and their relations to
the city OF San Francisco before and after
the earthquake and fire. The question of
the free distribution of garden seed occu-
pied the rest of the day,
Representative Kahn of California today
addressed the house on the manner in
which fiFe insurance companies had settled
their losses growing out of the fire and
earthquake In San Francisco. He said, at
the time OF the fire l1s companies had poll
eies on property In the devastated district,
all OF which were American except thirty,
and that of the foreign companies seven
teen we're English, six German, two Scot
tish and Canadian, respectively, and one
each In Austria, Sweden and New Zea-
land.
Most of the American companies had paid
their losses In full. with the result OF the
depletion Of their capital and In several
cases OF insolvency.
He paid compliment TO tho English
companies and most of the American COM
pdUlobt Dut bdlQ tn6I inc IOToikn COM
panies other than England. had endeavored
TO repudiate their obligations and most OF
them have withdrawn from the state.
In the cases OF the German and Austrian
companies. however. through the action OF
the German courts and the good offices OF
the State department, he said the insured
probably will receive settlement OF so cents
on the ST. or over.
Not one OF the six German companies
doing business in San Francisco prior TO
the fire OF April Is. 1906, has paid its poll
cies at 100 cents on the dollar said Mr..
Kahn. This 10 In marked contrast with
the seventeen English companies writing
business in that city. for most of the latter
paid their obligations in full Three OF the
German companies had. Immediately after
the FIRE. denied all liability and withdrawn
from the state. Up to the present time
these companies have not paid 81 on the
policies In that city,"
New seed Proposition Discussed.
In connection with the discussion of the
Agricultural appropriation bill In the
house today there was a general debate on
the committee provision. appropriating
t27s,oOO for the purchase and testing OF
new. rare and uncommon seeds. bulbs,
trees. shrubs and vines. and emitting the
ubudA appropriation lot the purchase OF
ordinary flower and garden seeds for dis
tribution.
Mr.. Gambler OF Mississippi charged that
the item In the present bill was the work
OF lobby, composed of seed men OF the
country. and OF effective newspaper work
He said he could not go back and look his
dear old farmer friends" in the face after
the increase OF salaries of conEressmer
II free seeds were not 20 be had. He
criticised the Department OF Agriculture
for interfering and said the government
was becoming a bureaucracy.
Mr. Clay OF Alabama insisted that the
amendment OF the committee placed In
the hands OF the secretary OF agriculture
a power which he did not believe any
bureau chief should possess"
Mr., Hepburn OF Iowa demanded to know
whether the appropriation carried In the
bill would not put the rare and unusual
seeds" provided for there. wholly in tbs
hands OF the seed men, ~ they were ths
only well-known experimenters.
Mr.. Scott OF Kansas, in defending the
proposed plan OF distribution OF seeds
said the Department OF Agriculture had