The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-07-21
COMPLIMENTS DEPARTMENT
Amount Paid is Expected to Be 2 Per
Cent of All Insurance Premiums Paid
to Companies Not Having Offices in
Wisconsin.


Isermann has received from the Sim
mons Manufacturing company through
Z. G. Simmons its president a check
for 5000 which the company states is
for the Firemen S Relief and Pen
sion Fund The Chief promptly fol-
lowed instruction in regard to the dis
posal to be made of the check and the
pension fund is now richer on the
books of the bank by the sum of 5000
The letter goes on to state that the
check is to cover our tax which we
have usually paid in on our insurance, !"
and in that statement lies the begin
nings of what may develop into a re-
newal of the old fight between the vol
unteer firemen and the trustees Of the
pension fund over the disposition of
the two per cent tax on all insurance
premiums collected. AS matters now
stand this tax is supposed to be divid-
ed between the pension fund of the
paid department and the treasury OF
the volunteers and the amount paid in
to the treasury of the volunteers fur
nished the money for the annual little
rake off enjoyed by the members of
the volunteer organizations. AS lew
of the members Of the volunteer COM
panies ever turn out to fires now the
fact that they insist on taxing their
share of the returns from the tax on
the insurance premiums thereby de-
priving the pension fund of half the
revenues which properly belong to it
has caused good deal of i'll feeling
Why the volunteers should insist in re-
ceiving pay for which they render no
return in the way of service and be
permitted by the city council to get
away with the annual dizzy is one of
the things that have never been salts
factorily explained. The city council
does not appear to have the nerve to
put stop to this form of petty rake
off by taking any official action to de-
clare the old volunteer companies dis
banded.
The treasurer of the volunteer com
panies will undoubtedly demand half of
the check sent in by the Simmons com
pany since it is stated that-it is paid
to cover the tax on the insurance of
the factory and it is to be hoped that
this action will open up tie whole mat
ter of the disposal of these premiums.
Many of the larger factories of the
city are insured in mutual companies
which have no, offices in Wisconsin and
in these cases the payment of the tax
and the amount of the payment is large
ly left to the factory managers. All
of the manufacturers of the city are
much interested in the maintenance
of the fire department at the highest
efficiency possible, rightly regarding
first class department as their best
form of insurance and there is none of
them but would be glad and ready to
contribute the full tax on the premi-
ums paid on outside insurance to the
pension but they cannot be blamed very
much for being reluctant to contribute
to the treasury Of the volunteers the
amount taken for the annual dizzy for
which they receive no returns. The
letter to the chief follows:
Kenosha, Wis, July IL, 1910.
Mr.. Henry Isermann,
Chief of Fire Department,
Kenosha, Wis.
My Dear Chief
We enclose herewith check for 5000,
being at the rate of 800 per year for
the years 1908 and 1909, for the Fire
mems Pension and Relief Fund. This
is to cover our tax, which we have US
ually paid in on our insurance.
1t is pleasure for us to do this for
the fremen, as we appreciate the
prompt response to distress calls from
this quarter.
I hope that you will continue to hold
the Department up to the high standard
of efficiency that you have maintained
in the past.
Vo,1~e