The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-02-01
Insuring with tht state.

mittee to cancel certain policies of
insurance held on county property and
write this insurance in the state fund.
The action was based on the claim Of
attorneys that the state law demanded
that the county place the insurance in
this manner and that contracts made
with other companies, on account of
the provisions of this law might be
held void and the county might not be
permitted to collect insurance in case
of the destruction of buildings covered
by fire. Kenosha county is nightly
interested in the movement of the
governor and others to do away with
this feature Of the state government.
They are interested because of the
questionable condition under which the
insurance may be paid and for the
further reason that the state is but
ting into the line of legitimate bust
ness. We probably would not waste a
great many tears on legitimate bust
ness being butted in on if we
were assured that the state would pay
its losses promptly. However, we are
forced to admit that the states atti-
tude in the insurance matter is lit
tie unusual. The state demands a Ii
cense to prevent peddler g competition
with local merchants, but when it
comes to competing with insurance
men the state not only has compel
ing company, but it insists on debating
the manner in which competitors must
do business. There would be a eonsid-
cradle complaint if the state would
open great "Sears- Roebuck' con
Germ up at Madison and insist that
every county agent and county insti-
tuition patronize this to the exclusion
Of all other stores.
The rights of the insurance men
have been considered good deal Of
a joke, in fact, it has often been init
mated that when man was through
with every other line Of business and
an admitted failure, he took up life
insurance or fire insurance. This idea
has been relegated to forgotten past.
The insurance business of Wisconsin
today is great business and it is just
as much entitled to the protection Of
the state as any other business. The
men who write insurance pay taxes
lots of them-and they have the right
to insist that they have at least fair
chance to do business.
The financial statement Of the state
insurance fund at the opening Of the
present year, is decidedly interesting.
1t shows the folly Of the state in hand
ling insurance. With its assets and a
part Of its liabilities counted in the
report shows that the state insurance
fund has balance of 1862 to take
care Of millions of dollars worth of
liabilities. Of course, il can be said
that the great state of Wisconsin is
behind every contract written, but with
the old line insurance companies rea-
sonably prompt settlement is expected
and demanded. A heavy loss to this
state fund today would demand legis-
lative action to pay losses. If one Of
the county buildings should burn to-
night it might take a considerable
time to get funds to pay the insur-
ance on it,
That such annoying and costly de-
lays have already ensured is shown by
a study of the past history of this in
suraflce fund. The law providing for
state insurance has never been subject
to such judicial investigation as
should follow so important a matter.
If the law is held to be unconstitu-
tional, and there are many men
versed in the law who insist that there
is no doubt but that it is, might be
found very hard for the insured to
recover even with legislative action
and recovery might be stopped by
the injunction sought by any Of the
tax payers in the state.
Kenosha pays lot of money for the
maintenance Of her Are department.
1t costs the city pretty close to fifty
thousand dollars year and old line
companies have been forced to contri-
butte to this expense a portion of their
premiums this year. The state has
seen fit to exempt itself from such
contributions and yet if a blaze starts
at the court house or the jail the fire
department will be expected to fight
just as hard to save these buildings as
it would to save buildings insured in
companies who annually contribute
something to the support of the
department.
We are inclined to believe that the
county board have made wrong
move. That instead of ordering a
committee to write off insurance with
companies which would pay and pay
promptly that it should have ordered
the transportation Of policies carried in
the rather indefinite state fund into
companies of worth which have funds
to pay with and which will pay
promptly all fire losses sustained by
the county. The matter is one Of real
interest to Kenosha county and we be-
lieve that right minded people who
look AT the r,rnhlem fran the view of