The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 30, 1916, Page 3

S5 2 ~a N S S - o a THE NONPARTISAN LEADER FRAINE ON THE JOR THREH How North Dakota Lawmakers Stood By to Protect Insurance Companies’ Profits at the Last Session . (The Leader has presented two important - articles on insurance as it affects farmers of North Da- kota. The first, in the issue of March 16, dealt with hail insur- ance. This showed the waste and big profits and commissions farm- ers must pay under the present - system, under which the private stock insurance companies'domin- ate the field. It showed the fail- ure of the present inadequate state hail insurance and the n for compulsory state. hail insur- -"ance on the Canadian plan. The - second article, in the issue of March 23, dealt with fire insur- ance. It shewed how fire insur- - ance companies of North Dakota, . absolutely unregulated in regard to rates, keep frem 46 to 58 per cent of the premiums they collect for giving fire protection, return- ing only from 42 to 54 per cent . of the money they collect to pay fire losses. It showed the abso- lute need in North Dakota for ' state rate supervision or regula- tion. The third and last article in this series, dealing with how the people’s representatives in the legislature have stood on these questions, is presented here- -~ with. Read and se how your rep- " resentative stood on these impor- - tant matters.—Editor.) of North Dakota, president of the W¥'® state senate, announced ecandi- date for governor on the Republican ticket at. the primary election this J H. FRAINE, lieutenant governor summer, is the man who finally killed - the proposition to regulate fire insur- ance rates in this state. Seldom does legislative procedure it was put up to e to make or break a piece of legislation. After a bitter fight in committees the bill to allow insurance rates to be reviewed by the state insurance commissioner came to a vote in the senate of th -1915 legislature. The vote was a tie and’ Lieutenant Governor Fraine-cast the vote killing the legislation. State Insurance Commissioner W. C. Taylor had introduced in this ses- sion Senate Bills 53 to 58 inclusive, a series of bills placing fire insurance companies under more or less strict Tegulation as to rates and other mat- ters. The bills were approved by the National Association- of Insurance’ Commissioners and were similar to legislation on the statute books of many states.. The six bills hinged on Senate Bill 53. If No. 53, providing for a review of insurance rates on the commissioner’s- initiative or on writ- ten- complaint, failed it was useless to attempt to pass the others. It was this bill, the only one that came -to a vote, that President Fraine of the senate put to sleep by his decid- ing vote. After this the other bills were withdrawn. SENATE HAD FACTS : BUT KILLED THE BILL . : When the senate killed this bill it was in_possession of most of the in- formation as to excessive fire insur- ance rates in North Dakota which the Leader presented in a former article. But the insurance company lobby was too strong to overcome. This series of bills wds actually passed in the Minnesota legislature and in the legis- ~ latures of other states at the time it was - defeated in ~ North Daketa. North Dakota thus went on record as a. backward and unprogressive state. Deputy Insurance Commissioner W D. Austin was active in preparing and pressing this. legislation. He gives the followin, have worked out in that state during the last year: : “Minnesota - had three base. .rates used: by fire insurance companies operating in that state. After the assage there of the bills the North akota senate turned down the Min- nesota insurance commissioner, under the authority given by the new legis- lation, reviewed ation. . He found the sections of Min-. " nesota in whieh the highest basic fire : gxsurance rate was in effect’ had the lowest loss and he ordered the lowest basie rate in effect in: Minnesota put in effeet for the entire state. . Thus - he materially lowered rates for two- s ut it up to one min as squarely as. " with those who opposed the terminal elevator. Al ‘John Young, Mercer, Oliver and 0. T. Loftsgaard, Walsh 'B. ‘H. Mallough, Cass John Yi statement as to how - these same bills, passed by Minnesota,| Minnesota situ- - Legislative Machine’s Product It has been said there was no gang in the last legislature that fought farmers’ legislation. The fact is that practically every member of the house who voted against compulsory state hail insurance, one of the big farmers’ bills sought, also voted against and killed the state-owned ter- minal elevator, which the farmers of the state by overwhelming majority twice voted to establish. The fol- lowing members of the house on March 8, 1915, voted against Senate bill No. 17, providing [ tion permitting compulsory state hail insurance (Page 1532, House Journal, 1916). If an agterisk (*) | appears after a name in these lists that representative also voted a- gainst the terminal elevator: H. J. Blanchard, Stark* ~Adam Bollinger, Stutsman* B. A. Dickinson, Ward* A. G. Divet, Richland* H. M. Erickson, MeHenry Harris, fiufleigh‘ Hickle, Mercer, Oliver & nn C. W, Moses, Pem : Sherman McKenzie* M. G. re, Richland* der* Nils Patterson, Sargent* C. H. Reim Rddy and Foster John Rf‘bter?r., chlnoosh and A, Steenson, Traill Sever Tallack, Walsh* L. L. Twichell, Cass* Fred Wolfer, Stutsman* Insurance Commissioner Tqqur : SOME ONLY STAYED AWAY Not voting in the house on this bill and not excused for cause, thus aiding those opposed to state hail insurance: - ‘W. N. Bartley, Eddy - W. E. Burgett, Burke and Divide* C. W. Carney; Richland* Henry O’Keefe Jr., Grand Forks* J. B. Dickson, Mercer, Oliver and J. T. Purcell, Cass* _-Dunn* W. F. Robertson, Rolette* C. A. Grow, Ward* J. J. Ryan, Morton* John Homan, Burleigh* . A. M. Thompson, Ward* C. E. Knox, Dickey* : &% P\ X. Wanner, Stark* (Note—Thirteen out of 18 in the house who voted against hail insur- Norman Morrison, Ramsey* C. Ness, Richland* - ] ance also'voted against the terminal elcvator. Sherman Hickle, who -voted against hail insurance, did not vote on the terminal elcvator prop- osition and was not excused from voting for cause, thus aligning himsel? i but one of those who did not vote on hail insurance in the house and were not excused for cause voted against the terminal elevator. Their refusal to vote on hail insur- ance aligned them with opponents of that measure.) - The senate voted on hail insurance February 16, 1915 (Page 415, Senate Journal, 1915) and those who voted against the bill were the following: H. W. Allen, Emmons and Kid- F. H. Hyland, Ramsey der A. J. McFadden, Pembina H. A! Bronson, Grand Forks W. B. Overson, Williams and J. E. Davis, Sheridan * McKenzie E. A. Hughes, Burleigh H. J. Rowe, Cass Oscar Lindstrum, Burke and Alfred Steele, Stutsman Divide : 0. O. Trageton, Grand Forks Three senators who finally voted for hail insurance used their efforts in committee to delay or kill the bill. These were: C. O. Hickle, Ransom Dunn B. H. Mallough, Cass ° VOTE ON FIRE INSURANCE BILL The vote on Senate Bill No. 53, provicfing for review of fire insurance rates by the state insurance commissioner when he believed or it was charged such rates were unfair, was pulled in the senate: February 24, 1915 (Page 717, Senate Journal, 1915) and 23 senators voted for it’ and 23 against -it, three absent and not voting. Lieutenant Governor Fraine, presiding officer of the senate, cast the vote to break the tie and killed the bill. The senators voting against the bill follow: H, W. Allen, Emmons and Kid- P. J. Murphy, Walsh n der 5 N. N. Nelson, Grand Forks A. F. Bonzer, Richland E. M. Nelson, Richland" H. A. Bronson, Grand Forks J. E. Paulson, Traill (T. Gronyold, Pierce William Porterfield, Cass A. Hughes, Burleigh H, J. Rowe, Cass . : cIntosh ‘and = Alfred Steele, Stutsman : Logan 2 0. 0. Trageton, Grand Forks Ferdinand Leutz, Morton F. W. Vail, Sargent Aloys Wartner, Wells F. E. Ps T. Kretschmar, oung, Mercer, Oliver and W. E. Martin, Morton . 3 Dunn * « C. W. McGray, McLean _ - *=J. H. Fraine, lieutenant governor Henry McLean, Cavalier - Absent and not voting and not excused for cause and thus aiding - those ‘opposed to the legislation were the following: 3 C. 0. Heckle, Ransom M. L. McBride, Stark 1 think the League is a fine thing. - It will do more good. for the farmer than all the small organizations we can build up., The Leader is there with the goods. It is the best ~paper I get and camnot get along without it—H. H. HALSTAAD. 5 ' for an amendment to the constitu- - bina | W, C. MeClintoek, Williams and aramore, Emmons and ~Leaders . “Since. Minnesota got this legisla- tion an attempt was made by the fire insurance companies to raise the rates charged in Duluth on public school property. The insurance commission- er with his new authority objected and reviewed the situation and the fire insurance rate on Duluth schools was lowered instead of raised, resulting in a saving of $5000 annually to the public. INSURANCE COMMISSIONER CAN'T -STOP EXTORTION “Without. this authority in North Dakota the state insurance commis« sioner is-powerless when similar oc- casions arise here. Recently fire in- surance rates were -advanced 10 per cent at Devils Lake and complaints were filed at our office, but we were powerless to do anyt,hing—cb'uldn’t even look into the situation under the present laws. This raise at Devils Lake was made despite recent im- provements in fire protection there. All the people of Devils Lake could ‘do was to appeal to the rate making bureau of the firé insurance compan- ies, ‘maintained- by the conpanies. No- impartial’ outside authority could review and-decide the -matter as.in other states.” : The 1915 legislature did .adopt a concurrent resolution for the amend- ment of the state constitution provid- ing. for compulsory state hail insur~ ance. is: amendment, if ever made effective through approval of the 1917 legislature and a voté of the people in 1918 will allow the 1919 legislature to .pass an-act making compulsory state hail insurance a fact. » The - procedure for amending the constitution. of North Dakota on the - initiative of - the legislature is slow ‘and cumbersome.' The people can get mo -quicker. action: on constitutional amendments - through -this system. -"When the legislature decides on a con- stitutional - amendment it passes a ‘concugrent -resolution. This, resolu- - -tion must-also be approved and passed by - the next -legislature, two years -later, -before it -can be submitted to - ‘the people. Then it is not until the next legislature meets that laws ecan be passed putting in effect the things provtided for in“the proposed amend- ment,. HAIL .INSURANCE PLAN DEPENDS ON LEGISLATURE ° The constitutional amendment the people will vote on in 1918, if the 1917 legislature approves -the proposition the 1915 legislature initiated, follows: “The legislative assembly may by law provide for the levy of a tax up- on such lands as may be provided by law of the state for the purpose of c~eating a fund to insure the owners ¢ growing crops against loss by hail; provided, that such tax shall not af- fect the tax of four mills levied by the constitution. The legislative as- sembly may classify such lands of the state as may be provided by law, and divide the state into districts on such basis ‘as shall seem just and necessary, and may vary the tax rates in such districts in accordance with the risk, in order to secure an equit- able distribution ofthe burden of such tax among the owners of such lands as may be provided by law.” It is important that the people of North Dakota know the senators and , representatives:who opposed this con- stitutional amendment—opposed even ~giving the people'a chance to vote on the question of whether or not they wanted compulsory state hail insur- ance. ‘They chould also know. the senators who opposed the regulation of fire insurance rates in North Da- ‘kota: The Leader has gone over the Journals of the 1915 legislature and gives these rollealls in a list accomp- anying this article.. : GETS MONEY’'S WORTH " .1 am sending you my $6 which I --.hould have sent fore but I did not come to town. I understand that the . bankers don’t like to send the money when it ' goes to the. Nonpartisan ttilnéke the a?per welééand ?tr;: sure ge more than my $6 wo! as it gls the best paper I OLE 0. JOIINSRUD. - 'JUST WHAT FARMERS NEED <Your paper-and organization is just " what the farmers' of North Dakota need. every copy through grand 1. S, BRADLEY. : ever had,—