Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-01-27
BEEDLE PLEASED
WITH PROSPECT
HOPES INVESTIGATION MAY BE
MADE; WILL GIVE EVERY
ASSISTANCE.
GOVERNOR DAVIDSON SAYS
HE'LL BE GOVERNED BY
GILBERT'S OPINION.
COMMISSIONER DISCUSSES SUB
JECT OF FEES IN MANY
OF ITS ASPECTS.
Madison, January %.

Madison, January 23.
Il am pleased that the attorney gen.
eral has recommended to the govern
or that legislative investigation be
made of all the matters referred to in
the charges filed by Mr.. Waite. Such
investigation should include all mat
tiers relating to the conduct of this
department, and in such case it can
not fail to be of material assistance
in securing such legislation as will
increase the efficiency of the depart
ment and provide for greater protec-
ton to persons taking insurance. I
trust such examination will be made
and l will render every assistance I
can for that purpose"
So says Insurance Commissioner
George E. Beedle in an interview Civ
en- yesterday when approached re-
garding the opinion rendered by At
torney General Frank L. Gilbert, upon
the charges preferred against him by
former Deputy Commissioner M w.
Waite.
Mr.. Beedle points out that the opin-
ion of Attorney General Gilbert COM
pletely reverses that of a former at
torney general regarding the fees col
lected by the commissioner. He gives
his Interpretation of the law and says:
Il am inclined to give this con-
struction to the statutes for the fur
Their reason that it seems lave been
the legislative policy since 1870 to
make the insurance department self
sustaining, and many statutes have
been passed limiting the expenses of
the department to the amounts re-
ceived by license fees and otherwise.
Some weight and consideration should
be given to the fact that such has been
the practical construction placed upon
the statute by the officers of the de-
partment of insurance, whose duty it
is to execute it.
Mr.. Beedle shows that during past
years it has been the practice of the
commissioner and employees of the de-
partment to collect large sums for
compensation for examinations of in
surance companies and for the valua-
ton of policies of life insurance COM
panies The annual collections prior
to 1907 for valuation of the life in
surance policies in Wisconsin alone
amounted to over $4,000. No pay
ments have ever been made to the
state treasurer on account of any
collections for such expenses or COM
pensation.
''The fact that during the whole
time since the passage of the law of
1880 all fees collected for expenses
and compensation have always been
paid to and retained by the commits
sioner or the person making the ex-
animation, whether he was an emplOye
of this department or not, constitutes
a practical construction of the law
says Mr.. Beedle. This has been open
and known to all.
'In 1897 the commissioner of insur-
ance asked to have the law changed
so that the only compensation of the
commissioner would be the salary, and
furnished to the legislature a state
ment of the personal fees received.
"A bill was also submitted to re-
auire such fees to be paid into the
state treasury The legislature then
refused to make any change"
Mr. Beedle calls attention further to
the suggestion made by him to Cover
nor Davidson in a recommendation
made some time ago, as follows:
The commissioner is also required
by law to make examinations of COM
panies doing business or applying for
license to do business in this state
No provision is made for the payment
of the expenses of such examinations
other than by fees collected from the
companies at the time. The law which
took effect at the beginning of 1907
abolished all other fees paid directly
to the commissioner and this relic OF
the old system should be abolished
and provision should be made for the
payment of all such expenses directly
by the state. The present collections
from insurance companies are such as
to fully warrant the state in bearing
this additional expense and the pres
ent system is unsatisfactory alike to
the companies and to the department
of insurance"
Il trust" says Mr.. Beedle, that