Chap. 644.—An ACT to prevent fire insurance companies, associations or partner-
ships doing business in this state, or the agents of 5 said companies, associations
or partnerships from entering into combinations to Take or control rates for fire

insurance on property in this state and providing @ punishment for violation of
this act.

Approved March 1, 1898.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, Thatit shall be
unlawful for any fire insurance company, association, or partnership
doing a fire insurance business in this state to enter into any compact or
combination with other fire insurance companies, associations, or part-
nerships, or to require or allow their ayvents to enter into any compact
or combination with other insurance agents, companies, associations, or
partnerships for the purpose of governing or controlling the rates charged
for fire insurance charged on any property in this state: provided, that
nothing herein shall prohibit one or more of such companies from em-
ploying a common agent or agents to supervise and advise of defective
structures or suggest improvements to lessen fire hazard.

2. That all fire insurance companies, associations, or partnerships
doing a fire insurance business in this state, shall cause ‘to be filed on the
first day of March in each year, with the auditor of public accounts of
this state, the affidavit of some officer or agent of said company, asso-
ciation, or partnership, who reside in this state, setting forth the fact
that the company of which he is an officer or avent has not in the twelve
months previous to the date of the said. affiday it entered into any trust,
combination, or association for the purpose of preventing competition
in insurance rates in this state. The said affidavit shall be made before
some officer of this state authorized to administer oaths, and any false
statement made in said affidavit shall be deemed perjury, and punished
by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thou-
sand dollars, and by confinement in the penitentiary for one year, or,
in the discretion of the jury, by confinement in jail for a period of not
less than thirty days nor more than twelve months: provided, further,
that any attempt to evade this act by agreeing upon any one person, or
number of }-rsons for the purpose of making rates for all such insurance
companies, associations, or partnerships, or by buying rate books made
by any person or persons, shall be deemed a violation of this act and
shall be punished as herein provided.

3. The auditor of public accounts or other official to whom said com-
panies, associations, or partnerships are annually required to report in
this state, shall forthwith revoke and recall the license or authority of
such company, or companies, association, or associations, partnership or
partnerships to do or to transact business in this state for any violation
of this act, and no renewal of authority shall be granted to it for three
years after such official revocation; notice of such revocation to be duly
published for one consecutive week in three or more daily papers pub-
lished in this state, and for a violation of any of the provisions of this
act by any such company or companies, association or associations, part-
nership or partnerships, they shall on conviction thereof pay a fine of
not less than five hundred dollars.

4. It shall be the duty of the attorney-general and commonwealth’s
attorney of this state to cause the provisions of this act to be enforced.

5. It shall also be the duty of the auditor of public accounts or other
oflicial now charged, or to be charged with the enforcement of the in-
surance laws of this state to require every fire insurance company, asso-
clation, or partnership doing a fire insurance business within this state
to tile with the annual statement made to him, a statement duly sworn
to by the manager or president of each company, association or part-
nership, legally admitted in this state, that it has not in the year inter-
vening between the issue of its last license and that applied for, violated
the conditions of this act.

6. This act shall be in force from July first, eighteen hundred and
ninety-eight, and all acts or parts of acts inconsistent therewith are
hereby repealed.