Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-20
HUGE sum AT ISSUE MANY LAWS IN ONE
Hein Would Have Attorney Best Features of Insurance
General Sue Power Company. Statutes to Be Combined
lINVOL YES LIGHT CONTROL new CODE FOR DISTRICT
Would Alleged Overcage Congress Le for Control Of
for Past Ten Years. Business Here
FOR LOCAL MODEL FOR ENTIRE COUNTRY
Gathered Under the Drec
Charged ton Of Subcommittee Headed
Zoe High. by Senator Buckley.
Best Features of Insurance
Statutes to Be Combined.
new CODE FOR DISTRICT
Congress to Legislate for Control Of
Business Here.
MODEL FOR ENTIRE COUNTRY
Material Gathered Under the Direc-
ton Of Subcommittee Headed
by Senator Buckley.

Progress has been made toward the
preparation by subcommittee Of the
Senate District committee Of a new code
Of law for the regulation of insurance
companies doing business in the Ma
tional Capital as shown by statements
just filed with the committee. The new
insurance code Is planned to be model
for the entire country, being based, as it
is expected to be, upon the best features
of the insurance laws in the several
states and receiving the approval of Con-
gress after the careful scrutiny Of its
members.
This work was undertaken as the re-
suit of the adoption by the Senate, at the
close OF the last session, of a resolution
onered by Senator Gallinger It direct
ed the Senate District committee, by sub
committee or otherwise, Ito prepare a
code of laws for the regulation and con-
troll OF insurance companies doing bust
ness within the District Of Columbia"
Intrusted to Subcommittee.
To subcommittee of five the task was
intrusted, and Senator Bulke. ey of Con-
necticut, who Is regarded as an expert in
the insurance business. was made its
that has been done SO far.
Two big boxes, filled with documents,
printed and typewriter statements, con-
tain the material evidence Of the work
that has been done. Those boxes con-
tain compilation of the insurance laws of
all but two states OF the ull...A, A-uu.- o..A
and North Dakota being omitted because
there Is available at present no code of
insurance laws In those commemorative.
But not on y have the laws of forty
four states been secured and indexed.
but the specific provisions Of each law
governmental control OF insurance bust
ness has been classified. BY the arrange
ment which has been carried out the
legislators who will frame the insurance
code for the District, when they come to
draft the section regulating assessments,
will find grouped together the provisions
In the laws of all of the 1orty-four
states relating to assessments. So with
the provisions of each state regarding
policies, powers of agents, limitations OF
foreign companies and other specinc
phases Of the insurance business.
There is also classification Of the
laws governing the several kinds of in
surance companies-fire, casualty, marine,
title, etc.
Easy for the Codifiers.
AS a result of this classification, it will
be easy for the legislators to look over
the provisions of the several states re-
garding one particular phase of the law,
pick out the best one Or combine the
best features of two or three, and then
proceed to perfect it according to their
own ideas. IL each special phase Of the
law is considered in that way, 1t Is
thought the aim of framing model code
will be attained.
The work of gathering this informa-
ton and compiling it in its present form
has been under the direction OF X. w.
Thompson, private secretary to Senator
Buckley. To this work he devoted most
of his time during the recess of Con-
Eress, and the results were recently sent
to the Senate District committee. MI.
Thompson's expert knowledge OF the law
In general and of insurance law in par
ticular aided him in the classification OF
the laws that covered thousands of pages
on the statute books.
Next Step in View.
In carrying forward the work, it is eA-
pected that the next step will be to hear
state insurance superintendent and rep
resentatives of insurance companies OF
all kinds. Such hearings and the gather
Ing of other similar information is en-
pected to consume some time, so that
the code will not be ready to be acted
upon at the present session of Congress.
1t is expected, however. to be one of the
most Important of the District bills to go
before Congress next winter.