Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1915-02-05
Insurance BIlls Scarce.


session of the legislature is the nota-
BILE absence of regulative insurance
measures. With the assembly a
month old but two bills have been
placed before it. dealing with insur-
ance matters. One of these is an
amendment to section 17S3-b Of the
code. relating to medical examiners OF
insurance companies. and defines the
term physician to mean any person
licensed in Iowa to practice the art
to cure or heal, in any manner what
soever. At present an osteopath
physician is not recognized as being
eligible to hold the position of exam
liner for life companies. The osteo-
paths have an insurance company Of
their own and it is understood they
are back of this measure. SO that one
of their school of healing may take
care of the examination of applicants
for policies.
The second insurance measure in
troduced is an effort to amend the law
relative to the loss of live stock by
lightning and provides in such case
that notice of loss must be made to
the company within five days of the
time when the loss occurred.
Among other insurance measures
which it is understood will be intro
duced soon. will be one creating rat
ing bureau for fire companies. and
another amending the workmen's COM
pensation act.
Cutting Ont the Fees.
Bills putting county officers on .
straight salary basis and cutting out
the retention of fees by any such Of
ficer. will be before the assembly for
passage. at the instigation OF the
county accounting department Of the
office of auditor of state 1t is under
stood many discrepancies have been
found by the county examiners In
their work since the department was
established. but in almost every In
stance they have been found due to
an Interpretation of the law governing
the official relating as to the handling
Of fees which the law says he must
collect. The officers themselves would
much prefer to have the law state de-
finitely the full compensation to which
they are entitled and provide that all
fees of every nature must be turned
into the county treasurer. The bills
proposed will regulate the Offices Of
county auditor. couKy treasurer.
county clerk. the sheriff and the
boards of supervisors.
nRn0~
Bank regulatory bills. ranging from
one permitting state and savings
banks to join the Federal Reserve
bank, to the bill presented by Senator
Doran Of Boone. creating bank COM
mission and providing for the guaran.
tee of bank deposits. have come before
the committees of the two houses.
What the outcome Of this confusion of
measures will be Is hard to predict.
but 1t 10 probable that the important
bank regulation which will be enacted
will be the extending OF the authority
OF the banking department - at pres
ent constituted. 30 that It will have
authority over private banking insti-
tutions Of the state. 1t 10 being pointed
out that of the several bank failures
in Iowa during the past ten years only
one was Of bank under charge of the
state department.. and the cause of the
failure Of that institution is said to
have been the fact that its president
was at the head of q private bank
which also went to the wall.
Senator Crist Of Clarke county has
introduced q banking bill which has
aroused much comment. 1t would
regulate all banks. both state and saw
ings and private institutions. prevent
the loaning of bank funds to any Of
ticer or director OF the bank and pre-
vent the using Of the funds Of the
bank or its deposits for any purpose
except for the regular transactions OF
the institution. 1t makes the violation
OF its provisions a case. OF embezzle.
ment with . penitentiary sentence -
penalty.
For Four Year TER.
In accordance with the recommend
alton Of Governor Clarke in his bien.
NAL message. bill is before the as
sembly making the term OF governor
OF the state four years. and providing
that he cannot be chosen for two
terms in succession. Another bill is
up to lengthen the terms of house
members Of the assembly to four
years. the same rs the term for sen.
ators under the old law. Half of the
members of the house would under
this plan hold over from one session
to another and thus assure the state
that at least half of its membership
At each session would be composed of
members having previous legislative
experience.
Bin Hopper IL Grinding.
A legalizing act, aiding the town of
Clearfield. was the first bill to pass
the house. 1t makes legal the compil-
ing and publication of the ordinances
of the town, and met with no opposi-