The Chanute times., 1913-05-09

ficiary companies OF the state or 10
the mutual fire and hail insurance
companies.
]. S. Lewis, state insurance eommis-
sioner, has just compiled the totals
of the insurance business of the com
panies reporting to him for 1912.
The big item in the $11,000,000 in
surance bill of the state is life insur-
anoe A total of $5,547,523 was paid
to the old line life insurance COM
panies of the state in premiums. The
companies paid back $1,4SS,075 in
losses and claims in the year. At
the present time the old line life COM
panies have in force policies for 1884,
G43,525 on the lives of Kansans.
That does not take into consideration
the policies written by the fraterpal
orders.
The fire and tornado insurance in
the stock companies cost Kansans
! s4,71S,233 in premiums and the insur-
ance companies paid back S2,921,9 1913
in losses, leaving nearly $2000,O00 for
expenses and profits to the companies.
! That also does not consider the pre-
miums of the mutual fire and hail COM
panies and the losses paid by them.
The total premiums paid for health,
accident, fidelity and liability insur-
ance were $1,03S,761, while the losses
paid by the companies handling the
business were only $441,373, much
less than half the amounts Kansas
paid to the companies.
Governor Hodges has started an in
vestigation of the casualty companies
because of the increase in rates.
Kansas does a good many things
first and other states come trailing
after. Now it has started something
with it's small debtors court that has
struck a popular chord and other
states are planning to adopt the same
idea. Charles Sessions, secretary of
state, has received several requests
for copies Of the law as it was passed
in Kansas. They came from Illinois,
Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon and the last
thC lipAi lNlOI Ii vi uOSh, SOil-
gressman from the Eighth district,
and he is going to introduce it in
congress to apply to the District of
Columbia. The Debtors Court bill is
intended to put the cheap lawyer out
of business and make the deadbeat
change his ways. 1t fits only small
debts. No case involving more than
$40 can ever get into the court and
the one who has the money due must
make a showing that he or she is un-
able to hire a lawyer and pay the
court costs to take a case into any
other court
Governor Hodges has started two
state departments investigating the
casualty rates in Kansas. He sent
letters to w. L. O'Brien, state labor
commissioner, and |. S. Lewis, state
insurance commissioner, asking them
to find out why the rates for liability
insurance under the Compensation
law were three or four times as high
as the rates for straight employers
liza bility insurance covering the same
class of risks.
The combination of the journalism
schools of the University of Kansas
and the agricultural college, the re-
moval of the printing plants now ut |
the schools to one and the establish
ment of state educational publicity |
sr, e, Il al
schools, is one of the plans of the |
state board of administration and |
Governor Hodges, to be put into ef-
feet at the opening of the new scnool |
year.
A Kansas hopper" society, COM
posed OF those who fought the grass
hoppers and the sons and daughters |
Of the pioneers who were really pio-
neers enough to be in Kansas when
the hoppers came along, is being
talked about among the old timers.
-O-
Governor Hodges has started an in
vestigation which may lead to a
marked reduction in industrial insur-
lnce rates or the ousting of numerous
casualty companies from doing bust
ness in Kansas. For some time the
governor has been getting complaints
about the cost of compensation insur-
lnce. When the Compensation law
went into effect the casualty compa-
lies raised their rates from so to 100
Der cent Since then the agents have
leen going to the factory owners and
business men and explaining that If
hey would take ordinary liability in
urance in which the company would
ettle with an injured employe at any
igure its lawyers could make, the |
ate would be sS a thousand dollars
# payroll. But if the employer want
ID to come under the provisions of
he Compensation law, that fixed the
mounts a man should received if in !
ured or his widow if killed, without |
lawyer getting a fee, then the rate
would be SIS per thousand of pay
oil. The governor sent a letter to