Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-01-04


Dunning, the big insane hospital just
outside the city of Chicago.
STATE CHARITIES COMMISSION.
AFTER outlining briefly the work OF
the Commission the governor calls at
tention to conditions in the iails as
follows: The reports of this commits
sion show very unsatisfactory condi-
tons in our county jails. Few jaiis
are free from conditions for very
grave criticism and the physical prop
critics and sanitary conditions of
many of them are so bad as TO demand
attention. Some of the defects found
are overcrowding. darkness by day
and night not permitting prisoners to
read, lack of employment. coldness,
dampness, and poor food, the latter due
undoubtedly to the per diem system of
supplying food to the prisoners"
The governor directs the attention
of the legislature to the conditions in
the Pontiac reformatory whose popu-
lation has declined from 1850 in 1907
TO SOS in 1910. The reasons given for
the decline in population are that boys
are being sent by the municipal courts
to the Cook county institutions and
the ST Charles School for Boys in
stead OF 10 Pontiac and that the cor
duct Of the boys IN the reformatory
itself tends to their early release. The
change suggested is in the age limit
Of eligibility for admission to the state
this limit between the ages of ten and
t.
that 1t be fixed between the ages of
sixteen and twenty-five wears.
CIVIL SERVICE.
After calling attention to the recon-
nendation for the passage of the civil
service lay in 1905 and the enactment
of a merit law governing the charities
service of the state, the governor says:
THE law in its enforcement by the
civil service commission has resulted
In great good to the charities branch of
the service. It has eliminated poll
teal influence and employees secure
positions on their merit. It has
stamped out sweeping changes and
furnished a guarantee of tenure TO
those who wish to continue in the en-
ployment of the state. 1t has exter-
minated the hospital tramp and intro
duced the trained nurse. 1t has placed
the medical care of patients in skill
full hands. It has raised the standard
of employment in every department.
], therefore, earnestly recommend TO
your honorable body that the civil SER
vice act of 1905 be extended to all of
the other departments and branches of
state government"
Because of legislation enacted dur
ing the last six years regulating life
insurance. the message says. Illinois
occupies place in the front rank with
insurance legislation. The following
to the present law have
been recommended by the insurance
81 A number of life companies have
been organized in this state during the
past few years, and many of our citi-
zens are the owners of stock in these
The present law fur
nishes but little. if any, protection to
these stockholders. as the stock of
such a corporation may be impaired
to the vanishing point before the COM
pany is insolyent, all capital stock be-
ing. under the present laws, surplus
and protection to policy holders. These
should have the protec-
ton of our insurance laws, and section
10 of the Life law should be so amend
ed as to provide that if the par value
of the capital stock of life company
is impaired more than % per cent. the
company should be compelled to cease
new business until its impair
ment is made good.
80. Many life companies doing bus
ines in Illin lois are given authority by
the laws of the states in which they
are domiciled to insert what is known
as the disability clause in their pol
icies. The department recommends
that the department be so amended
that the Illinois companies may be Civ
en- the same privilege, the Illinois SUI
preme court having held that nativ
may not write policy that
provides for life protection and also
against accident"
It is further recommended that "the
policies of casualty companies doing
business in this state should also con-
tain a few minimum provisions for the
protection of the insured and objec-
tional clauses in these contracts
should be prohibited"
MINE RESCUE WORK.
1.-The mine rescue station commits
sion created by the last general as
sembly has erected three substantial
at La Sale, Springfield and
Benton. the sites of which were donat-
ed by the citizens of the places
says the message. In addi-
ton to the station buildings, three
rescue cars have been provided TO IA
cilitate the movement of rescue par
ties in case of mine accidents. One
Of these was donated by the Chicago,
and St. Paul Railway COM
pany. and one by the Chicago and
Northwestern Railway company. The
six men who have charge of the train
Ing and rescue stations were selected
after a severe competitive examina-
ion and have been given a most thor
ough training in the theoretical and
practical branches Of their work at the