The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1913-05-08
TWO new MEASURES
ARE GIVING TROUBLE
Orr Anti Trust Law Has Created
Bad Insurance Situation.
County Unit Local Option Law Destined
to Create Contentious in the Courts
Wet" and DRY" Cities Seem Ex,
empt from Effects of New Law till
-Four Years after Their Last Election
Under Old Law.

Jefferson City, May 5.-These are
busy days in state official circles.
Attorney General Barker has his hands
full of trouble over the muddle created
BY the Orr antitrust insurance law and
Governor Major is necessarily troubled
over it also. Barker made a hit"
when he asked the supreme court to
restrain certain fire insurance compan'
les from doing some Of the things they
threatened to do, and the supreme
court made a good stroke when 1t or
dered the insurance companies men
toned by Mr.. Barker to show cause IN
ten days why they should not continue
to do business in Missouri and
carry out their contracts with people
who have paid them liberal premiums
for insurance. While all fire insurance
companies doing business in this state
have cause for protest and may reason
ably fear the effect Of the Orr antitrust
act they made a mistake in jointly
agreeing to quit the state on the last
day Of April. That looked like a con
spiracy or bluff and it gave color to
the charge on which the Orr law was
founded; for that measure was intended
to break up what the people OF the
state have regarded as an insurance
trus. or combination. The remedy,
however, as provided in the last section
of the measure is drastic and unreason-
able. That section specifies if an
agent OF fire insurance company, IN
determining the rate to be charged Tor
insuring any property, uses a printed
rate book or sheet OF compilation used
by some other insurance company or
companies his act may become prima
facie evidence that he and the com
pany he represents are parties to a
trust or combination to fix arbitrary in
surance rates; and the agent and off
GERS Of the company he represents may
be convicted on such evidence ant
subjected to fine and imprisonment.
The presumption Of the trainers o
the Or antitrust law evidently wa
that each separate risk assumed by al
insurance company is more or les
hazardous than any similar risk ant
that the rate for it cannot be predeter
mined for a number Of companies b,
experts jointly paid by such companie
without destroying competition in rates
1t should be remembered that ther
are two so.called Orr bills. One
them repealed the Oliver insuranc
law but did not provide a law in il
stead. That bill carried an emergenc
clause and became Immediately efec
i've. The other Orr bill is directe
against trusts or combinations Of il
surance companies 10 control the ratt
and rules Of fire insurance in the stat!
That bill does not become efecti'
till June %. The insurance interes
will try to suspend its operation
submitting it to vote Of the peop
under the referendum.
The new county unit local optic
law is creating vide discussion becau
it provides that no county wide Gle
ton can be held until four years all
the last local option election was he
in the county outside Of city there
with more than $500 inhabitants.
several counties that are likely 10 VI
dry" at a county wide election t
"wets" are trying TO bring on
election under the present law bett
il dies June D., thus avoiding coun
wide election later that may make b
the county and the city or cities dr.
1t is 10 be noted that countyw
election cannot, however, affect
result Of a city election until four ye