ART. 23] INSURANCE COMPANIES. 597

upon conviction thereof, the offender or offenders, shall be sen-
tenced to pay a fine of five hundred dollars on each and every
violation, when the amount of the insurance is twenty-five thou-
sand dollars or less; and for every additional twenty-five thou-
sand dollars of insurance or less, there shall be an additional
penalty of five hundred dollars, and such offender or offenders
shall be, prohibited from doing insurance business in the State
of Maryland until said fine is paid, or the said fine or penalty
may be sued for and recovered in the name of the State of
Maryland by the State's attorney of the county or city in which
such agent or agents may reside or in which the offense is com-
mitted; one-half of said penalty, when recovered, shall be paid
into the treasury of the State, the other half to the informer of
such violation.

1888, art. 23, sec 120. 1868, ch 471, sec. 104.

157. Any corporation formed under this article may insure
the property, real, personal or mixed, which any married
woman may own jointly or in severalty, in the same manner as
if she were a feme sole; and any guardian may, with the
assent of the orphans' court by which he shall have been
appointed, insure in any company formed under this article,
any property which the ward or wards of such guardian may
own, either jointly or in severalty, and such insurance shall
have the same effect in all respects as if the minor whose
property is thus insured were of full age, and had made such
insurance himself.

Insurance Department.

Ibid sec. 121. 1860, art. 56, sec. 27 1858, ch 432, sec. 1. 1872, ch. 388
1874, ch. 400. 1876, ch. 248. 1878, ch. 106. 1900, ch. 700.

158. There shall be a distinct department, to be known as
the insurance department, the office for which shall be in the
city of Baltimore, which shall be charged with the execution
of the laws of this State in relation to insurance, the chief
officer of which shall be appointed by the governor, treasurer
and comptroller for the term of four years, and shall be known
as the insurance commissioner, and shall receive an annual
salary of twenty-five hundred dollars, payable only out of the
fees of said department authorized by this article, and shall
hold office during the term for which he is appointed, or until
his successor is appointed and qualified, unless sooner removed
by the governor, treasurer and comptroller; and the said insur-