Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1917-03-23

ness the new state hail insurance
law, over which there was so much
discussion in the legislature just ad-
journed. The law creates a state
board of hail insurance commission
ers composed of the state auditor,
the commissioners of agriculture and
publicity who shall be secretary of
the board, and three other members
appointed by the governor from
names submitted therefor by the duly
organized farmers societies having a
general membership throughout the
state" One term is for three years,
one for two, and one for one year,
the three year man b ing the chair
man
Elect by June 4.
The board is to prepare a special
blank form outlining the provisions
of the act. These banks are to be
furnished the county assessors to be
submitted by them to the farmers.
Not later than June 1 of each year
farmers who desire to avail them
selves of the provisions of the act are
to file the filled in blanks with the
assessor. Farmers not working their
own lands car obtain insurance only
with the consent of the land owner.
A tax is to be levied on the lands
of all the owners who desire to come
under the act, not exceeding rs cents
an acre on hay crops, nor more than
60 cents on grain crops, by the state
board of equalization is to prescribe
such levies annually made against
the lands subject to the law. The
county treasurer is to collect this tax
and not later than December 81 OF
each year remit the monies to the
state treasurer.
Appraisal of Losses.
All hail losses are to be reported
direct to the state board of hail in
france by a sworn statement
Boards of county commissioners are
to appoint two appraisers from each
county from names submitted by reg
ularly organized farmers societies
the state hail board appoints the
third appraiser, and shall adjust the
losses.
Payment of losses is to be-made a:
follows: "Said state board shall as
certain as soo as practicable eacf
year, the acreage of land cropped tt
grain and hay subject to this aci
3 . > . thereby ascertainint
the total amount of such tax levies
and after deducting therefrom 1C
per cent for possible delinquencies
and the estimated actual cost of the
administration of this act and the
appraisal of losses, shall apportior
pro-rata the balance of the amour
levied for hail insurance amongst al
taxpayers subject to this act, whC
have sustained losses by hail share
and share alike based on the amo n
of each of such losses as adjusted anC
determined as aforesaid, and shall or
der the state auditor to issue wa;
rants on the state hail insurance fun,
| in settlement for such losses, provid
| ed, however, that in no ase shall tn
payment for such losses exceed Z!
per cent of the appraised value there
| of as adjusted and determined a
aforesaid"
Equity Opposes Law.
The American Society of Equity
which is the largest farmers organ
ization, in size of membership, in tn
| SLdLC, 10 OpPOoCu " thl0 nal Lou
ance law, Notwithstanding the fac
that the Equity organization ha
been advocating state hail insuranc
for over a year. This hail law ]
elective in principle, while the Equi
ty is striving to obtain a "compul
sorry" hail insurance. The society
efforts in this direction were blocke
in the recent legislature because G
constitutional limitations.
"The new hail insurance law wi,
not be of any great advantage or as
sistance to the farmers of this state,
is the assertion in a recent statemer
made by the Equity organization. 81
does not recognize the law~or ave.
ages, which is a basic principle of a
insurance. If put into operation tn
law will assume risks from four t
six and one-half times more than wi
be possible to pay at the rate of pre-
MUM required. The law plainl
states that 60 cents per acre shall /
the limit of tax, then leads the farm
err to believe that he will receive z
per cent of his actual loss, which
many ISL will amount to $45 pc
N acre or more. The law provides tn;
J u WnOl0 o0CIlOu VI lduu mdy D6 ii
sured, Notwithstanding the fact tn;
no one insurance company eyer dare
to assume the risk of more than on,
quarter of each section. The prime
pie involved in the present law hay
been tried out in a number of state
and have been found impractical ar
unsuccessful. In North Dakota, IL
state was able to pay only 38 p,
cent of it's hail losses under this pla
In Canada only 40 per cent of IL
losses was received by those insure
and over 100000 was lost to IL
farmers in a single province, own
III to the operation of the principl
Iii similar to those in the Montana hs
insurance law.
1.-THE Equity believes that if II
present law is put into operation
will be so unsuccessful that it W.
defeat any attempt which may
made in the future for a hail insu