An Act to Amend Sections Two, Five, and Eight of Act Numbered Twenty-Five Hundred and Seventy-Three, known as the Work Animals Mutual Insurance Act, as Amended by Acts Numbered Twenty-Six Hundred and Eighty-Two and Twenty-Seven Hundred and Sixty-Four

March 22, 1920

ACT NO. 2903

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS TWO, FIVE, AND EIGHT OF ACT NUMBERED TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-THREE, KNOWN AS THE WORK ANIMALS MUTUAL INSURANCE ACT, AS AMENDED BY ACTS NUMBERED TWENTY-SIX HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-TWO AND TWENTY-SEVEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR

SECTION 1. Section two of Act Numbered Twenty-five hundred and seventy-three, known as the "Work Animals Insurance Act," as amended by Acts Numbered Twenty-six hundred and eighty-two and Twenty-seven hundred and sixty-four, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 2. The management of the association shall be vested in a board, to be known as the Insurance Board, consisting of the Director of Agriculture, as chairman, and two citizens of the Philippine Islands, one of them acquainted with and interested in agriculture and the other in cattle breeding, as members. The Insular Treasurer shall be treasurer and the chief of the insurance division of the Bureau of Agriculture secretary of the association. Said members shall be appointed by the Governor-General, by and with the consent of the Senate, and shall receive six pesos for each day of attendance at the meetings of the board and be entitled to reimbursement of their actual and necessary traveling expenses when engaged in the performance of their duties for the purposes of this Act. AIDSTE

"The Insurance Board, with the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources, shall promulgate the regulations or by-laws governing the association and adopt any other measures for the attainment of the purposes of this Act. It may appoint agents for the examination, valuation, appraisal, identification, registration, branding, and certification of the death of any work animal insured, and assign a reasonable compensation to such agents; it shall determine the amount of the insurance premiums, which shall in no case be less than three nor more than six per centum of the value of the animal insured; and shall establish schedules of insurance premiums, taking into account the various regions of the Archipelago, according to the use made of the work animals: Provided, however, That the Insurance Board, with the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources, may, in its discretion, increase the amount of said premiums to cover any deficit in the funds of the association resulting from its operations during the preceding year.

"The animal insurance agents of the insurance division shall be appointed by the Department head, upon recommendation of the Insurance Board, and shall not necessarily be subject to civil service rules."

SECTION 2. Section five of said Act Numbered Twenty-five hundred and seventy-three, as amended by Act Numbered Twenty-six hundred and eighty-two, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 5. Whenever any person desires to become a member of said society, he shall, in addition to paying the above-mentioned membership fee, file with the municipal treasurer a detailed description on blanks furnished by the Insurance Board of each animal which he desires to insure. Upon compliance with all the requirements prescribed by the regulations issued by the Insurance Board, the municipal treasurer shall notify the person interested of the admission or rejection of the animals which it is desired to insure. In case of admission the owner, upon the request of the municipal treasurer, shall pay the entire amount of the insurance premiums to the said municipal treasurer, who shall issue the proper policies. The insurance premiums shall be payable annually in advance, and whenever a member fails to make such payment he shall by that act cease to be a member of the association: Provided, however, That the insurance provided for herein shall not take effect or be in force until the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources shall issue a formal statement fixing the date on which the insurance shall take effect and shall direct the municipal treasurers to collect the amount of all insurance premiums."

SECTION 3. Section eight of said Act Numbered Twenty-five hundred and seventy-three, as amended by Act Numbered Twenty-six hundred and eighty-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 8. For the purposes of this Act, the duly appointed work animal insurance agents are hereby authorized to appraise the animals to be insured, taking into consideration their age and physical condition and the part of the Archipelago where they are. Said agents shall make these appraisals in pursuance of instructions given by the Insurance Board, through its chairman, or in accordance with a schedule of values prescribed by the Board. Any appraisal made and approved by the Board for the first year of insurance may be modified in the succeeding years." AaCTcI

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on its approval.

Approved, March 22, 1920.