combination of ten of the largest stock insurance companies and had to be adequately protected in order to be accepted as a universal insurance carrier for all types and classes of risks as contemplated in the Act creating the State Fund. The State Fund is not based upon an impracticable theory. During the first year of its existence, it has proven to be a successful and stable insurance carrier for Workmen's Compensation insurance. On December 1st, 1916, its records showed 15,342 policyholders with premiums in force of $696,238, without considering the increase to accrue by payroll adjustment, insuring compensation payments to more than 138,000 employes. The State Fund has invested $492,823 of its income in Pennsylvania securities providing improvements to boroughs, and counties, and for similar public beneficial activities. The State Fund starts the year 1917 with an assured premium income of more than $1,000,000 with approximately 17,000 policyholders, distributed throughout nearly every township and county in the entire Commonwealth. The State Fund has never adopted a monopolistic attitude and does not contemplate the elimination of any insurance carriers from the compensation field of Pennsylvania. Its primary function is to operate as a regulator of rates and insurance methods, to protect the employer from exorbitant costs for compensation insurance and to assure the employe of prompt compensation payments for death or disability from accidents sustained in the course of employment. IN RE REINSURANCE OF CATASTROPHE HAZARD February 19th, 1917. To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania: In response to the Concurrent Resolution, directing the "Insurance Commissioner and Workmen's Compensation Fund to furnish list of Insurance Companies to whom State Compen sation Fund Insurance has been underwritten with amounts of Insurance," the State Workmen's Insurance Board submits a full and complete list of all the Insurance Companies by whom the risks of the State Workmen's Insurance Fund have been underwritten, together with the amounts of insurance carried with each of said companies, as follows: London Lloyd's, Excess Insurance Co., Ltd., London, $165,000.00 Consolidated Assurance Co., Ltd., London, 15,000.00 Act 340 of the Compensation Laws of 1915, Section XIV, reads as follows: "The said Board shall have the power to reinsure any risk which they may deem necessary." Efforts were made by the Board to place reinsurance of catastrophe hazard with a company or companies licensed to do this class of insurance in Pennsylvania. Not succeeding in this undertaking reinsurance was placed as above stated, after the Board had satisfied itself as to the reliability of these carriers. The Board has at all times been willing to reinsure its catastrophe hazard in reputable insurance companies licensed to do this class of business in Pennsylvania and still stands ready so to do, upon as favorable terms as those on which it is now being obtained. STATE WORKMEN'S INSURANCE BOARD. R. K. YOUNG, Chairman. State Highway Department BIDS ASKED. Pennsylvania State Highway Department, Harrisburg. Sealed proposals will be received at said office until 10 a. m., February 26, 1917, when bids will be publicly opened and scheduled and contract awarded as soon thereafter as possible for furnishing the Department with crushed stone to be used in maintenance work on Route 286, in Bedford and Blair Counties. Bidding blanks, specifications, and full particulars on application to F. B. Black, State Highway Commissioner. BIDS OPENED FEBRUARY 28 Bids were opened for stone chips and crushed stone for use of the Maintenance Division forces during the 1917 working season. The bids were read and ordered checked and it was announced that the successful contractors would be notified later. The bids received on stone chips were from the Rodgers Sand Company, Pittsburgh; the Downing Sand and Gravel Company, Erie; The Portage Silica Company, Youngstown, Ohio; The Nickel Plate Gravel Company, Erie; The General Crushed Stone Company, Easton; Buffalo Cement Company, Buffalo, N. Y., and the Iron City Sand Company, Pittsburgh. The bids of Emanuel and Company, of Catasauqua, and the National Limestone Company, of Naginney, were rejected because they were not accompanied by the certified check rquired from bidders. The bid of Vincenzo di Giarno, of Fayette City, was rejected because the certified check enclosed was not in the full amount required. The bids received for crushed stone were from the Bellefonte Lime Company, Bellefonte, and Booth and Flinn, Limited, Pittsburgh, Pa. The bid of the National Limestone Company, of Naginney, was rejected because no certified check accompanied it. Executive Department APPOINTMENTS Trustees State Hospital at Norristown-Frank L. Smith, Norristown; Thomas W. Marshall, West Chester. Justices of the Peace-Horace A. Lenhart, Middletown, Dauphin county. Alderman-Harry F. Turner, Thirteenth ward, Johnstown. Department of Labor and Industry STATE EMPLOYMENT BUREAU Employment offices will be opene dby the Williamsport Board of Trade at Williamsport, February 26th, and by the Beaver Falls Chamber of Commerce at Beaver Falls, February 28th, in co-operation with the Bureau of Employment. In addition to the branch offices maintained by the State at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Johnstown, Chambers of Commerce in Allentown, Lancaster, Coatesville, Phillipsburg and DuBois have recently opened co-operating agencies. Workmen's Compensation Board APPEALS FROM AWARDS OF REFEREES MARY DENISON vs. TIOGA STEEL & IRON COMPANY Accidental injury-Violence to the physical structure of the body-Heat prostration-Thermic fever-Cause of death. Appeal from Award of Referee, Wm. B. Scott, District No. 1. Claim Petition No. 448. Affirmed. (For Report of the Award of the Referee, see 2 Dep. Rep. 2667.) SCOTT, Commissioner, Feb. 24, 1917: OPINION It is contended by the defendant that the deceased employe did not die of thermic fever or heat stroke but alleges that the testimony establishes uremic poisoning as the cause of death. In our opinion the preponderance of the evidence sustains the finding of the Referee in this respect. The deceased employe was a young man and had a history of good health prior to his death. He had worked but part of the day for the defendant at heavy hot work when he was suddenly attacked with violent symptoms and presently died. We are of the opinion that the testimony brings this case within the definition of personal injury by accident within the meaning of the Pennsylvania Act and that this case is within the decisions of this Board interpreting the Act as held in Smith vs. General Crushed Stone Company, 2 Department Reports, page 1022 and Roller vs. Drueding Brothers, 2 Department Reports, page 1230, which latter case has lately been affirmed in the Court of Common Pleas No. 4 by Judge Audenried. The award is accordingly affirmed and the appeal dismissed. |