Evening star., 1923-01-12
INSURANCE CODE
FOR D. C. VITAL
Experts Testify Before House
Committee as to Need for
New Regulations Here.
MILLER BILL PRAISED
Would Fill Local Needs and Be OF
Use as Model in Various

Recognized experts on insurance law
were unanimous in their statements
before the House District committee
| TO-DAY that a new insurance code is an
| imperative need for the National Capt.
tal' and that the bill providing for
such code, drafted by Insurance Com
missioner Miller, would be helpful
to all the states in the Union.
Walter C.. Chorn of Kansas City,
former insurance commissioner of
missouri, said that as commissioner
ne mad looked to the District of CO.
| lumbia when drafting legislation for
the state of Missouri and found no
nelp. In conferences of insurance
commissioners, representing many
other large states, again they looked
toward the District, but found no
beacon light to guide them
william III. Hotchkiss of New York
an attorney. representing the national
board of fire underwriters, which he
/ described as an organization COM
posed very largely of all the stock
fire insurance companies, both in the
United States and abroad was the
| only one who spoke in opposition to
any part of the bill.
Objections withdrawn.
Mr.. Hotchkiss reviewed the objeo-
tions he made yesterday before the
| Senate committee and said that in
conference with Commissioner Miller
some ten or a dozen of these objec-
tions had been ironed out
"It. is notorious that the District
| OF Columbia needs an insurance CODE -
Mr.. Hotchkiss said. He strongly en-
phasized that 1t is wondered at among
! insurance men how this community
| has been able to get along with sc
little insurance law. Il think the
District of Columbia will get a good
| law out of these hearings"
| Mr.. Hotchkiss said that Commits
sioner Miller had shown him why
| d number of the provisions against
which he had come to Washington
to protest were written into the bill
| to fit local conditions and he had
Withdrawn his objections.
ID. n. Lea of the Washington Board
| OF Trade and chairman of its insurance
committee. said that he represented .the
largest; most up-to-date and public
which is intensely interested in the ques-
| tion of rate making. He said he had
| followed this legislation closely for
| eight years, and for the first time we
| have hopes that Washington will have
| adequate insurance law" said Mr.. Lea
Compliments Committee.
He complimented the House District
| committee for having placed on the
statute books the best marine insurance
law yet written. He pointed out that
the bill now under consideration is nec-
! essary to supplement and carry out that
| law.
When Chairman Focht commented
| upon the fact that so little opposition
had been shown in such an important
| matter Mr.. Lea explained that Wash
ington had had an experience of eigh,
years of disastrous rate cutting
which resulted in the imminent dan
ger of monopoly.
Dr. Huebner confirmed the opinion
of Mr.. Hotchkiss that 1T would be
/ practically impossible to draft a
model law which would be applicable
to all the states, and earnestly ad-
vised the committee not to let any
thing stand in the way of prompt ac-
tion in passing the proposed insur-
ancs code, which, he said, his long ex-
| perience has shown him is urgently
I needed in the District.
| Insurance Commissioner Miller sug-
gested a number of minor amend
i ments to perfect the bill before 1t is
reported out.