Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-04-05
PROSPECT EXCELLENT FOR IOWA
TAKING OVER REGULATION
OF INSURANCE.
PROBLEM AN ANCIENT
ONE AND DIFFICULT
TaeL.:>!. ~ Many Previous Legislatures
Without Definite Resuit-Plan in
Fair Way Of Adoption Has Approval
Of National Association Of Insurance
Observation-Disclosures Notes.
Special to es-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
| Des Moines, April 5-The prospect
seems now excellent for Iowa taking
/ an important step in the direction OF
state control and regulation Of fire in
surance rates. The insurance rate
problem is an old standing one Legis-
| lators galore have tackled it without
success. Most of the solutions start
ed with an attack on the state anti
combine law. But a year or two ago
Kansas tried out scheme for having
the state, thru it's insurance office, un-
dertake to regulate rates by scheme
Of classifying risks and adjusting rates
to the risks. It was fought by the COM
panies and denounced as an unwise and
unconstitutional exercise Of power. The
supreme court upheld the law and de-
clared that the business Of fire in
surance is so far affected with pub
lie interest as to justify legislative
regulation Of it's rates That was
going long way ahead of anything
ever thought of before. The national
convention Of insurance commission
ers, after full investigation by COM
mittee. approved a plan of having the
several states take over the control of
fire insurance rates. and the COM
missioners to have powers Of review
SIM liar to those exercised by the inter-
state commerce commission, and to
| compel cooperation by fire insurance
companies in maintaining rating bur-
eaus, to require an open system OF
ra ting by which rates charged by each
| particular company may be ascertained
and checked, inspection and surveys OF
| risks specifically rated and prohibition
| of unfair discrimination in rates as
between persons and classes of proper
! ty The bill which has now passed
| the Iowa house and is on the senate
| calendar with favorable report and no
suggestion Of amendment, does all this
and more. It includes not only fire,
but lighting. windstorm and hail as
sociations, but the farmers mutuals
are exempt.
"A law like this will encourage in
spections Of risks and cutting down
of the fire waste" says Emory H. Eng
iisii, commissioner. Lower rates can
| only be guaranteed by lessening the
losses. This law will enable the IN
! sured to receive credit in his rate for
| the remedying Of defects In his risk
and cleaning up his premises, thereby
! placing a. premium upon precautionary
methods in connection with the custody
OF property and the conduct of BUSH
ness. The value and utility Of the bill
| in basing the rate to be paid upon loss
experience and occupancy hazards In
stead Of upon competition only should
appeal to every property owner"
A good deal Of turmoil has taken
place in the legislature over what was
called the Jones bill in the house re-
lating to public utilities. This was a
! bill which, it was alleged, would have
destroyed local authority over tele-
phone business by placing 1t all with
the railroad commission. 1t was de-
| feated.
Now the Crist public utility bill is
! before the senate and it is receiving
a good deal of favorable consideration,
tho not at all liked by the utility COM
panies. It would retain the authority
locally and with ample machinery for
settling disputes thru the equity, courts
Today there was placed on the SEN
| ate calendar with favorable report a
bill by Whitmore which has been in
the books since the first day Of the
session. This amends that clause OF
the code which provides for city regu-
lation Of rates and service Of gas COM
panies, water companies, ETC., and pro-
vides:.
"The provisions Of this section shall
apply to every person, firm or corpora
ton maintaining or operating a tele-
phone line in any city, and to the SER
vice thereof. and to the connection and
service between two or more public
telephone lines operating in the same
city. City councils are hereby granted
the power, by ordinance, to enforce the
provisions Of this statute, as amended,
and to provide punishment for the
violation thereof"
It is anticipated this will bring on
an interesting fight in the senate. The
whole utilities question is filled with
| dynamite.
The bill to fix the compensation of
sheriffs and cut off their fees has been
made special order the house for
Wednesday morning. The house has
yet to act on bills affecting other
county offices.
The senate received favorabIe re-
port today on q resolution by Clark
son to have the state highway commits
sion make an investigation Of the Des
Moines river bridge at Eddyviile and
report on what is necessary to protect
the bridge. 1t Is at the junction OF
three counties and is threatened by
the changing channel OF the river. II
is thought possible the state Will have
to make special provision for repair.
s*s
Z. would seem that there is some
contemplation of plan to some day
reopen the question Of change OF
county seat in Linn county. from
Marion to Cedar Rapids. Some years
ago when an effort was made to tie
up some county seat fights for all time
a provision was inserted in the Law
that the procedure for relocating 9
county seat might not apply when tht
: distance between the limits Of the pro-
posed county seat and the limits Of
the then existing county seat does mo-
exceed one mile So long as that I,
the law there IL no way Of making {
start in Linn county. Senator Healt
is urging tho repeal Of this part Of tn,
law 80 that the question can be CON
sidered some time in Linn county.
$50
A bill passed by the. senate teIatinl
TO gpay Sof : deputy 1ecorders wa
especially for Polk county. It permit