Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-07

committee of mercantile affairs ana
insurance on bill, An Act additional 10
Sections 96, 81 and 9S of Chapter 40 of
the Revised Statutes relating to the
qualification of insurance agents and
brokers, the report being ought to
pass The pending question is the
third reading of the bin.
Mr.. Plu1nmer of Lisbon moved that
the dill be indefinitely postponed.
MIR. HIGGINS of Brewer Mr.. Speak
er and gentlemen, | desire to say that
his report from the committee was
unanimous and the insurance depart
nent Was unanimously in favor of it.
ana all the insurance associations are
in favor Of it, all insurance agents are
in favor of it, and | trust that the mo-
ton of the gentleman from Lisbon
tMr. Plummer) will not prevail, and
that the bill will be given it's third
reading at the present time and be
passed t. be engrossed.
Mr.. pit MINER of Lisbon: / call to
the attention of the House that this
bill IS Senate No. 30. and there are
one or two things in there that seem
to me really ought to be brought to the
Il may be that it is the policy of the
State that every man who wants t. do
any kind OF business must finally come
here 10 the State House and see wheth-
er he can do it ol. not, and pay fee
for - doing. II that is TO be the
policy Of the State l will suggest that
instead of taking up one thing 1T
time like insurance agents, dentists,
doctors, and 50 on. that We pat in u
blanket nil which Will require that
everybody should come here before ne
can do any kind of business. Now the
situation at The present time, as l
understand il, with regard to insurance
agents receiving permit to engage in
that line of business is ths,-and if
I am not correct the gentleman from
Brewer CHR Higgins) win undoGbtcd-
~ correct met is the custom Of in
surauce companies to select general
agents 10 act for them in states or
parts of states or divisions. These
general agents select such sub-agents
as seem to them proper persons TO do
business These general agents recon-
mend To tie company these men as
sup-agents, and the insurance COM
panies then send to the commissioner
of insurance in the Stale House here
for permit for these men to act. ae-
compdnied by the sum of two dollars, !
| think Now taat would seem to be
sufficient guarantee so far as the in
suranee company is concerned. | judge
that insurance companies are as com
petent to select their own agents as
the rest of us are. so on their part
: Ffr &c no of bfpcp
As far as the people are concerned |
de not know but hat we are competent
to decide from what company, or from /
what agent. we care to take our insur- |
anee II we are not l suggest that
anybody here who thinks they are not
be put under guardianship. Now, this
bill as | understand it is this: BE
fore an agent or broker is licensed as
provided in Sections 90, % and IS" etc |
he shall file with the insurance com |
missioner Il statement under oath. Civ
ing his name, residence. present oceu-
patton, his occupation for the five
Years next preceding the dale of such /
statement and such other information, |
II any. as the insurance Commissioners t
may require. After filing the state
ment herein provided the insurance
may, if lie is satisfied
that the appointee is a suitable per- |
son. Now the word suitable is Il
word of considerable latitude or very
small latitude, according to who looks
at it. and | do not think it is neces- |
sary for such power to be given to the
insurance commissioner. l think un-
der the present circumstances the law
is good enough Now | viii venture
that any man in this Legislature, and
that any man in the state of Maine, if
he is approached upon the question as
to whether We now have laws enough
upon the statute book will say yes. lie
would say there should be three or
four sessions more of the Legislature
which shall do nothing but repeal laws,
We want to enforce those laws which
seem good 10 us, which is all very
proper: but the body as a whole should
take into consideration who are urging
the law. and why. Now there was no.
body who appeared before this com
mittec eNcGpt insurance agents There
was nobody Of the common neople l
think the Insurance Commiss iou-r did.
Il will say that; but there was no
body of the common people came here
ana utManueu any Sutu Id" Us luiS
and l trust. gentlemen. that the no
tion to Indefinitely postpone will pre-
vail.
Mr.. SMITH OF Pattcn: | am some
what interested in the gentlemaH's
from Lisbon phraseology. Now am
not interested in this bill: but one or
two things within two or three days
have occurred to me. and that is that
the learned gentleman from Lisbon at
lacks the reports of the judiciary
gentlemen of course VINO do
not know any law; he appears in OPP
position to reports of the banking com
mittec. who know nothing whatever
about banking. he attacks the reports
of agricultural committees who know,
of course, nothing about farming; he
attacks the reports of the insurance
committee who know, of course. Moth
ing about insurance and | suppose a
little later that ke will attack the re-
ports of the indian committee who rep
resent the ancestors of the distinguish