Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-01-07

aminations, received and retaine d
such fees. 1t is my belief that this
practice has not been followed during
the past two years. 1t is also my be-
lief that a large proportion of the
fees earned by employees of the Office
in making actual examination of in
Surance companies, have been made
over by them TO the private account
of the commissioner of insurance. See
ketcham's letters dated Aug. "a, 1907,
May p and July "a, 1908.
8. Section 1915 of the insurance
laws provides that the commissioners
shall make personal examination
of fire insurance companies seeking
authority to operate in this state.
This provision of law has been ig-
nored by the commissioner of insur-
ance, A large part of these examina-
tions have been made by the depart
ment examiner, Mr.. Edward \ Netch-
am.
4. Complaints have been received
from various companies, whose tax
schedules have been examined by Mr..
SKetCham, 10 the effect that his
charges for examining such schedules
were exorbitant, and it is my judg-
ment that there is a basis for this
complaint. l believe it is not the in
tent of the law to allow anything
more than the actual expense of col
lecting a small balance that may be
found to be due to the department for
such cases the usual charge for exam
inatiOn of companies entering the
state for the first time, can, under
the law, be collected. The examiner,
acting under direction of the commits
sion of insurance, is now charging
mileage to each such company eX-
amined, thus being reimbursed sew
eral times over for the actual eX-
pense of a trip in which several com
panies are included.
This examiner has mutilated bound
volumes Of the reports of insurance
companies, with the consent of the
commissioner extracting therefrom
the original tax schedules of over
seventy companies in order to have a
ready and easy reference for cOmpari-
son. Permission should never have
been given TO take these original re
ports from the office. 1t is doubtful
whether this injury to the records
can be made good, moreover, in the
oh Of
sible to verify the reports of the ex-
aminer, and this Office is compelled,
in the absence of said records. to ac-
cGpt his unSuppOrtC word
All of the official correspondence
of the examiner is marked 'private,"
and does not find its place in the files
of this department, except that Ger
tain formal reports are turned over
later by the commissioner. The COM
missioner has been absent from the
office several weeks at a time and
the deputy, in the absence of the
commissioner, is left entirely in the
dark with reference to any official
matters in connection with this ex-
ence with National Casualty Co
Aachen & Munich Fire Insurance Co !;
Detroit Fire and Marine Insurance Co.
3. Persons ineligible under the law
have been employed by the commits
siOner to assist in making eXamina-
tons. See accompanying receipt from
Charles Barker for $9450, in full on
account of examination of the Polish
National Alliance, etc. Charles Bar
ker was, at the time of assisting in
this examination, a licensed agent
contrary to law, which provides that
no person who is interested in any
way except as a policy holder, is per
mitted to take part in the examina-
ton of any company.
The charges are signed by Mr..
Waite and sworn to before Levi M
Bresee, notary public.