The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-02-03
WANT / NEW LAWS
The Investigating Commit
tee Makes Its Report.
PLANS TO STOP BRIBERY.
Assembly Is Urged to Adopt an
Amendment to New York Penal
Code-Would Also Put an End
to Insurance Rebates.

Albany, Feb. 1.-The legislative in.
vestigating committee. of which Ed |
win A. Merritt, Jr., of the assembly is |
chairman, submitted it's report to the
legislature today. The resolution ere.
ating the committee provided for Il
report upon Jan 10. An extension un.
til Feb. 1 was granted by resolution
adopted in both branches Jan. 10.
The report cover 26S typewriter
pages and is divided into six parts. |
The first five deal with the evidence
taken at the hearings concerning cor
rupt practices in connection with |
legislation and set forth the salient |
facts established by the evidence
The conclusions reached by the com !
mittee with reference to the different !
subjects of corruption investigated are
set forth in various subdivisions in the /
nature of findings. Tie report upon
this branch of the subject concludes
with some observations with relation
to legislative practices and the diff
Guilty Of exposing legislative corrup
tion. which it appears to the commit.
tee results largely from the failure OF
legislators to Immediately make known
any attempts made to bribe them.
The committee recommends the
passage of an amendment to the penal
law compelling any member of the
legislature to report at once to either
house and to the district attorney of
the county any attempt to bribe or
imprppnrIN- in biS Unta
Failure to do so is made punishable
by imprisonment for not more than ten
years or by fine of not more than
$4,000, or both. together with forfei.
ture of Office and disqualification from
ever holding any Office in the state.
Eleven proposed laws are submitted
with the report, which constitute the
last section of the document. In addi-
ton to the proposed act providing for
immediate notification of attempted
bribery there are ten bills affecting
fire Insurance. One measure places
rate making associations and organiza-
tionS, including the New York Fire In
surance exchange, under the control
and supervision of the state superin
tendent of insurance. The superin,
tendent is to be vested with ample
power to prevent discrimination in the
matter of rates. The power of licen -
ing brokers' is taken from the New
York Fire Insurance exchange and all
similar associations throughout the
state. II is vested in the state super.
intendent of insurance.
There is also an anti-rebate bill which
prohibits the sharing of premiums and
makes it n misdemeanOr to give or ac-
cept rebates. The bill follows the lines
of the present law relating to life in
surance premiums. Another measure
provided that fire insurance compa.
MES shall report to the state superin-
tendent of insurance the amount of in
surance issued by them in the congest-
ed value sections of all the large cities
in the country. Provision is made in
another bill for the admission to New
York state of the New England Fac
tory Mutual Insurance companies un.
der the supervision of the state suDer.
intendent of insurance.
Another bill provides for the or
ganization of new Lloyds and inter.
insurance organizations. The bill com.
pels all such associations to have q
guarantee fund of 100000 in addition
10 the unearned premium fund, as is
now provided by law. Another of the
Insurance bills creates the office of
state fire marshal, with swooping pow
ers for inspection of property and in
vestigatiOn of fires. He is to have two
deputies. Fire marshalS in cities and
fire chiefs in smaller communities are
made his assistants.
The legislative investigating commit
tee includes in its membership Edwin
y. Merritt, Jr., chairman; Alexander
Brough, vice chairman; Victor NJ. Al
len, Robert +. Wagner, William w.
COlne, Frederick X. Toombs, Frank l..
Young, James A. Foley, NJ. Linn Bruce.
chief counsel; Alfred Hurrell, assist.
ant counsel in charge of fire insurance
matters; lsldor j. Kresel, assistant
counsel, in charge of corrupt prac-
tees: Professor Albert w. Whitney,
actuary; l.. II. Conant and Marvyn
Scudder, accountants, and George NJ
ShOtwell, stenographer.
The committee was organized Oh
July 8, 1910. The first public session
was held on Sept Z, 1910. All told
there We're fOrty-twO public meetings
The witnesses examined numbered 1S4
The testimony covered $500 pages OF
oral evidence and 1900 pages of docu
mentary evidence The public hear
ings ended Jan. 6, 1911.