The New York herald., 1867-02-20
Fires md Fire Insurance Companies.

A committee of the State Assembly is in
session at the Metropolitan Hotel investiga-
ting the management of the New York Paid
Fire Department and inquiring into the cause
OF the unusual destruction Of property by fire
since the old volunteer department was ab0l-
ished. At the same time the fire insurance
companies furnish the public with practical
illustration Of the advantages they have Sc
cured through running steam fire engines as
political machines, by raising the rates Of in
surance on mercantile and storage risks,
buildings and contents, from ten to twenty
Eve per cent and adding fifteen per cent to the
rates on some other descriptions Of property.
We have very little faith in Legislative in
vestigating committees. From some cause or
another they seldom accomplish any good and
generally terminate in a whitewsshing report
in favor OF the party whose acts are made the
subject Of inquiry. A great many Of these pre-
tended investigations are started for the pur-
pose Of defeating rather than promoting the
elucidation OF the matter to which they refer.
When damaging rum0rs are in circulation con-
cerning some favored department, and ugly
facts obrude themselves on public notice 1t is
a very common trick to raise an investigating
committee and to bury the whole subject in
that catacomb of official delinquency. 1t is to
be hoped tha. this remark win not apply to
the committee now in session in this city.
That the present Fire Department, for some
reason, is a lementable failure, Is now gene
reilly admitted. Hardness In getting 70 ires,
incompctency on the part of the engineers, un-
willingness and Indifference on the part Of the
men are the qualities that make themselves
apparent at every fresh confagration. When
an alarm sounds in the city no person now ex-
poets the flames to be subdued until they have
exhausted themselves and consumed as much
property as Is within their reach. Some per-
sons believe that the fault lies with the engi-
Eeers and torcmen, who are selected from poll
tical considerations, and not on the ground Of
competency and merit. Others say the force is
not strong eneagh Some denounce the paid
svstem altogether, and argue that men who
receive small salary as flremsn lose sr-sl!
Of emulation that exists auicng volunteers, and
refuse to overexert themselves ar to take any
risk that they can by any means avoid. II is
certain that somewhere there Is fault, and
the committee Of the Assembly should thor
oughly probe the matter and above all things
endeavor 10 ascertain whether political con-
siderations are suffered to interfere with the
working Of this important department A
change In officers should be insisted upon; for
no further evidence than the actual events OF
the past few months can be needed to establish
the fact that the department Is at present under
the control Of men utterly unat to handle
force ct an ordinary fire.
So far as the fire insurance companies are
concerned, they have only themselves to blame
for their present dificulties II was stated at
the recent meeting Of the Board of Under
writers, convened for the purpose Of raising
the rates Of insurance, that owing to the heavy
losses Of last year some companies whose
stock was quoted two or three years ago at
from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and
fifty per cent are now actually encroaching
on their capital to pay their liabilities. A
large share Of these losses may be attributable
to the incfhciency Of the present New York Fire
Department, which owes its existence mainly to
the insurance companies; but the reckless
nanner il Thleh .hs Gs in1raalc business