The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-31
VETERANS WILL
GET PENSIONS
VIII Receive During Year Be-
ginning October |, S853,307
AFTER OVERHEAD WRlIE1s
Insurance Commissioner Julian Calls
Attention of Insurance Agents to
Violations of the Law-To En-
force Food Acts.

Montgomery. December S.-(Special)-
Veterans of the lost cause and their
widows will receive from the state in pen
sions for the fiscal year beginning Oc-
tober l last, the sum of $s53,S07. of which
amount $497,516 has been sent out, the
warrants of the second quarter having
been placed In the hands of the probate
judges in time to be delivered on and
after the first day of the new year. The
last quarter amount was SPAS. 946, an in
crease over the first quarter of 1916, this
growing out of the transfer Of all over
80 years of age to the first class, the
highest paid.
It will thus be teen that there is yet to
be paid out the sum of sS75,781, running
through the next two quarters. Pay
ments four times year makes an awful
lot of work, and 1t is likely that the card
system, suggested by Examiner II. Y.
Brooke, will be put in so that all can
work at 1t at the same time. There are
now II, 1856 pensioners on the rolls, divided
as follows: First class, receiving 2o
quarter, 1882 second, $40, 1877; third, SIG,
191; fourth, $3.50, 1886. Under the law
all above 50 years of age go to the first
class.
After Overhead Writers.
Frank N Julian state commissioner OF
Insurance. has sent out letter to So
licitors all over the state urging them
to prosecute all who either write or re-
ceive insurance from companies not au-
thorized to do business In the state. you
will fnd'' he says. that many business
concerns are carrying very large line
of insurance in unauthorized companies,
and are making absolutely no effort to
comply with the laws requiring reports
and payments of tax on such business. 1t
is an injustice to the state, as well as an
imposition on your local agents, who pay
a state and municipal license, and with
your cooperation we hope to compel the
violators of these laws to at least respect
the statutes
1t is required that on all lines written
by unauthorized companies a tax of l
per cent be sent to the state, and tax
of 1 per cent paid on all insurance paid
punishable by fine and Imprisonment. and
the solicitors may recover Is per cent of
the amounts collected for their own fees.
Solicitors are urged to aid in breaking
up the habit of rebating and misrepresen-
tations. II there can be a stop put TO
this heavy loss, running to perhaps $780,
900 year In premiums, it Is quite certain
a reduction in the fire rates for the state
can and will be made.
Food, Drug and Feed Acts.
With the assistance of the attorney gem
eral, an axe and a derrick, Commissioner
of Agriculture ]. A. Wilkinson is trying
to swing the new pure food and feed laws
into service by the first of the year, but
he Is up against hard job of 1t. At
torney General CARRIER has ruled that the
feed handlers must have analysis of their
product made uunder supervision of the
state chemist and tagged, but no tag tax
can be required the law not definitely SO
stating. This deprives 1t of its revenue
feature. save that 81 brand may be de-
manded for registration.
On the drug and food law there is doubt
about the money to enforce it. In many
places the requirement is set out that
the commissioner OF agriculture must en-
force the act by municipal and county in
spectors, but there is Indebtedness about
the payment section which the attorney
general will have to clear up. The act
says the money is to be available, but
from what fund is left out. Food and
drugs that are pure are defined, adultera-
tons are also explained and fines and
penalties set out. Misbranding and adult
terations are made impossible under the
1atx Pi1t Ia he
is coming the act will be on the fence.
Warmed the Bananas.
Here is the story of how the handy men
under Superintendent J. I. Mckinney Of
the Louisville and Nashville road saved
train of 20 cars of bananas: They came
in Wednesday night and were stopped
here for fear of freezing higher up the
zone ladder. Pretty soon the mercury be-
gan to shoot down and the problem was
on to save them from freezing here. The
five messengers and the yard men ran the
train outside the city, robbed a car of
coal, built fires about the cars and kept
them warm all night. Figure the cost and
freight on 20 cars of this delicate fruit
and there Is the amount these level-head-
ed employees saved to the company.
AIabamians Honored.
William W. Brandon, state auditor. is
back from Rome, Ga, where he attended
the province meeting of the Sigma AL
pha Epsilon fraternity, of which he is the
president of the province. including Ala
bama and Georgia. He says the meeting
was 4 success He was reelected to the
head of the province with Jelks Cabaniss
of Birmingham again chosen secretary.
Big Fire in Norfolk.
Norfolk Va, December 3O.--Fire orig