Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-03-25
INSURANCE CROWD At pEs
MONIES sEEklNo TO REPEAL
BLANCHARD LAW.
ITS EFFECT WOULD De
TO INcREAsE RATES
Presumption Of Lobby in Telling Lea.
islature What Il Should Do Resented
BY Msmbsrs, Who Speak Their Minds
Harding Almost Alone in Support
Of Measure.
Special to Times-Repuhlican.

Special to Times-Repuhlican-
Des Modnes, March 25.-The insur-
ance lobby on the floor Of the house
and occupying seats as members came
; in for a hard drubbing yesterday after
noon when the house considered for
two hours the bill to nullify the Blan-
chard hnti-compact law and authorize
raising Of insurance rates in Iowa
Representative Harding. who. almost
alone had defended the bill. had de-
clared that the bill does not operate to
repeal the Blanchard anti compact law
and would not operate to raise insur-
ance rates.
Representative Jacobs said he was
glad the champion Of the bill had made
this disclaimer. I'VE remember" he
said, "that two years ago he disclalmed
any intent, in the bill he then intro
duced to repeal the Blanchard law or
to raise rates: yet when we got into
the committee to discuss the bill 1t
was admitted by the insurance lobby
that its effect would be to repeal the
Blanchard law and would raise rates
oil over Iowa. Now he say he does not
want the Blanchard law repealed. NO
legislature of Iowa will have the cour-
age to repeal that law which was
placed upon the statute books after
hard struggle for RELIEF from excessive
rates.
"But I resent now" he added. "the
presumption Of this same insurance
lobby In virtually surrounding us here
on the floor and telling us what We
should do. object to this invasion OF
the house by men who come here to as
sure us this bill will not repeal the
Blanchard law when they know very
we'll that II will have that effect.
Says Il Would Aid Poor Man.
Mr.. Harding declared that the bill
would reduce the insurance rates for
the Door man, and it would only DO
going a step further than the Blan-
caard law in preventing the rate CUT
ting all over the state He insisted that
its sole purpose was to make rates uni-
form ON like classes Of property.
Mr.. Hunt, who also spoke for the
bill. said that the purpose desired by
the state auditor in tho bill was to 90
cure uniformity. and tho insurance
companies are for II because 1t Will end
rate cutting. He said it would DO
great benefit to tho companies BY nav.
! ing the Bennett rates eotabhshed.
CUNNINGHAM and Dawson also op.
posed the bill strongly. In the debate
lit vus brought out that tho opefaalon
Of tho law would DO TO have what ID
known as the Bennett rate book. which
II prepared In Cedar Rapids and 500
TO al the Insurance companies. v1<su.
ally legalized as the rate In Iowa for al
ins,,rance. that this rate book would
DO flied with the state auditor as evil
dence of the rates established. but that
would not be subject to the penalties
Of the ntd-compact law because OF the
compande. not making the rates OF this
book.
II was declared that the effect would
be to practically radse all insurance
rates in the state up to the Bennett
rates. whereas now ...ese rates are only
advisory and not legal and in few In
stances are maintained. The bill would
prevent any deviation from these rates
and penalize an agent or company
for any competitive business.