766 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 456

or tax due the State Accident Fund for the first six months,
may be collected by the Commission in the same manner and
with the same effect as provided in Section 22 of this Act
for the collection of premiums or taxes in default.

In exercising the discretion conferred upon it by this section
and Section 14 of this Act, the State Industrial Accident
Commission shall consider the reputation of any insurance
company or association, in which any such employer may de-
sire to insure, for promptness and fairness in the settlement
of compensation claims, without unreasonable resistance on
the part of any such insurance company or association, and
shall also consider the financial strength of the employer, the
number of employees employed, the degree of hazard to em-
ployees engaged in the employment, the likelihood or danger
of several employees being injured or killed by one and the
same accident, the relative influence, the different methods,
by which compensation may be assured under this Act, are
likely to exert upon the employer and his employees for the
prevention of accidents, and any other Tacts or conditions
bearing upon the security and promptness of payment of the
compensation and the prevention of accidents.

19. It shall be the duty of the Commission to classify any
industries subject to this Act mentioned or not mentioned
which are insured in the State Accident Fund. And the
Commission shall have power on or before the first day of
January of each year to reclassify such industries, or oftener,
if, in the opinion of the Commission, the same should be
deemed just and advantageous; or to create additional classi-
fications with respect to their respective degrees of hazard
ami determine the risk of the different classes, and fix the
rates of premium for each class, according to the risks of
the same sufficiently large to guarantee a workmen's com-
pensation fund from year to year. It shall be the duty of
the Commission in determining the rates, in order to create
a fund sufficiently large to guarantee a workmen's compen-
sation fund from year to year to also reclassify from time
to time the industries or occupations, in order that there may
be a flexible adjustment of the rates as the hazard fluctuates,
and to use all means in their power through the rate adjust-
ment to lessen the opportunities for injuries to the workmen.
The classification so determined and the rates of premium
established shall be applicable for such year unless a reclassi-