The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-01-16
Law win Be Enforced.


Law Will Be Enforced.
Comptroller General Jones has sent
ont to all insurance companies let
ter calling their attention to the law
and its provisions, and making it
plain that the act will be enfoced. His
letter is as follows:
Columbia, S. c., Jan. 1, 1907.
To the- Insurance Company:
| I beg to inclose herewith copy Of an
Act, which passed the last session Of
the General Assembly and approved
by his Excellency, the Governor,
dated May 9, 1906, commonly known
as .The Firemen's Pension Act"
By reference to its terms you will
see that you are required to make
return within sixty days, after the
31st of December, 1906, Of all busi-
ness done by you in certain incorpo-
rated towns and cities and pay an
amount Of 2 per cent on such pre-
u1iums. I enclose you herein the
form OF. return, which has been pre-
pared by this Office, in compliance
with the terms of the Act.
The cities and towns which have in.
corpo-ated their fire departments. and
in which, therefore, you are liable to
pay the 2 per cent on your gross pre-
miums. are:
Anderson, Anderson County.
Beaufort, Beaufort County.
Charleston, Charleston County.
Darlington, Darlington County.
Florence, Florence County.
Georgetown, Georgetown County.
Greenville, Greenville County.
Greenwood, Greenwood County.
Conway, Horny County.
Camden, Kershaw County.
Bishopville, Lee County.
Marion, Marion County.
Newberry, Newberry County.
Crangeburg, orangeburg County.
Columbia, Richland County.
Spartanburg, Spartanburg County.
Sumter, Sumter County.
Union, Union County
Rock Hill, York County.
The money so collected, according
to the terms of the Act, is to be paid
over for the benefit of Firemen's Re-
lief Associations, and to be used as a
fund for the relief of any member Of
the fire department Of such city or
town who may be injured or disabled,
and for the relief or the payment Of
gratuities to the widow Of those de-
pendant who may be killed; for the
payment of necessary funeral ex-
penses of every member of such fire
department, and for the purchase of
accident insurance upon the members
of such fire department.: Provided,
that the board Of trustees of such
cities having pension funds may also
use said money for pensions Of super
annuated and disabled fremen. Pro-
vided, also, that the fire department
of such city or town shall also be
member of the State Firemen's Asso-
ciation of this State.
You will note in the Act that every
insurance company who shall make
default in payment Of the amount so
levied. or in case of failure to pay
and satisfy and forfeiture, shall, for
each offense, forfeit $500 for the use
and benefit of such fire department of
such city or town, and in addition it is
made my duty, by the Act, to revoke
any certificate Of authority or license
previously issued, and thereafter it
shall be unlawful for any such COM
pany to do further business until re-
instated by the Comptroller General
I sincerely trust that strict and
prompt compliance with the terms Of
the Act will avoid the necessity OF my
revoking your license and depriving
you from doing business in the State
of South Carolina.
Yours respectfully,
A. W. Jones, Comptroller eneral.
Attitude of the Companies.
1t is not yet certain what the insur-
ance companies intend to do about the
tax, as they have so days from De-
cember 8 to file their returns. 1t
uas Of ono f;noe thonpht that the