Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-12

| interest to me and i nope tnat our
readers will follow this session closely
to see how much Of last falls campatg Ign
was mere bunk for getting votes and
how little was inspired by sincere be-
lief in reform. hope that every tax
payer will save this years tax receipt
so as to compare 1t with next years
receipt and be able to compute for HIM
self the exact amount OF his deliver
ance. He will not find It in the state
levies.
The secretary of state, See has H.
nally discovered what our newspaper
insisted would happen when the three
year auto license plate was adopted. He
reports scarcely half as much money
collected in January as before and adj
vises the legislature that there is 60
ing to be loss of revenue by reason of
the change The average citizen with
hsi three-year number plate on his cSr
will pay when forced to and not before.
II he had been given a three years re-
ceipt for his property taxes by the
county treasurer he would have been
equally as slow about coming to, the
court house with his money and II
those taxes were PAYABLE in Des Moines
he world feel justified in taking plen-
ty of time to suit his own convenience
in paying. But there Is no delinquency
In payment for gun licenses. They are
payable at the county auditors office
and give US no problem at all. If the
legislature had made auto licenses pay
able at the county court houses and
had allowed only thirty days of grace
after which delinquents would be noti-
fed by registered mail or publication
and their their autos sold for taves
just as farms are sold there would be
few delinquents after Feb and none
after March l. Number plates con-
signed to each county could be charged
TO the county and reported to be re-
corded at Des Moines when sold. Re-
ceipts could be issued in triplicate the
money kept at home except the small.
per cent needed for the maintenance of
the state highway commission and for
the purchase of plates and a business
. IKE I'm piic.: o;;;! !a take s place of
an expensive and inefficient system.
Your reporters tell us that the bank
ers IN the legislature are taking the
lead in bank reform. They are about
to create a new banking department
with several salaried officials and l
am not sure but what the plan is a
good one but | am wondering why
those same bankers do not provide that
every person who wishes TO call HIM
self hank shalt first come under the
supervision of the new department. All
over Iowa there are Tnenswho still con-
tinue to use the name 1ha nix" as blind
behind which they borrow money from
depositors without collateral. They may
use that money to invest in big farm
and fancy cattle and keep up the APP
pearance OF great wealth. Some OF
them even have the wealth in fact but
the public has no way OF knowing who
is sound financially. a town which has
a national bank and state bank and
a savings bank all examined and regu-
lated with actual capital invested to
make them safe soon comes TO believe
that all banks are safe. Inc law,
which has made national and state
banks safe, has caused our people to
lose their sense of discrimination and
when some shrewd individual calls his
place of business The Farmers Bank
how are depositors to know that when
they walk in there and leave their
money they have no more protection
than If they left il IN the hardware
store next door. taking a receipt from
the merchant payable on demand? An
improved examining department would
be a fine thing il it could examine
everything that called itself a bank.
And then l am disappointed 10 find
bankers so aggressive i'll legislative re-
form with none 10 LOOK OFT for depos-
itors. Our state has recently compelled
us publishers ard manufacturers to
compensate our employ es for injuries
sustained in the business and 10 guar
antee this compensation by insurance.
Why not provide now that bankers IN
sure their depositors against loss OF the
money which banks are obliged to pay
back to their depositors? There are
valid objections to guaranteeing depos-
itors Il, all banks and assessing good
banks for the losses incurred by bad
banks altho several states seem to be
making success OF that plan but there
could be no objection TO state regu :
lated mutual insurance society OF
banks for the protection of depositors
whereby only good banks could get In
and when in would have something to
offer their depositors in the way OF
added security.
am in favor of rapid enlargement
Of the principle OF state insurance. !
believe that the state which compels
us employers to insure compensation to
workmen should provide us with n1u-
tual insurance at cost and relieve US
from any possibility OF extortion by
those who know that the, law compels
us to buy insurance.
/ would settle the fire insurance con-
troversy in the same way. We have
tried to prevent combinations among
! fire insurance companies by law. We
then tried to compel them to make
a rate good for one Uniform for ALI and
| the net result is increased costs Of In
| surance in the face Of vast replacement
Of frame structures with brick and
concrete. All this time the lumber
| dealers OF Iowa conducting their own
| fire insurance business at lower rates
than any bureau rate have accumulated
such a surplus that they do not know
| what to do with 1t. The hardware
dealers carry their own insurance at a
great saving in cost. It is time that
the state entered the insurance busi-
ness II for no other purpose than 70
| fix rates by competition. II it - true
\ that politics would make state insur-
ance extrayagant In cost OF admins
tration. private enterprise could make
money out Of Its greater efficiency but
1 49,, A,,nSv - thof fy,A p0st NJ fire In