The Baltimore County union., 1883-12-22
Correspondence Baifiaors CosHiy Caion.
MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE coMPA.
MES AGAIN.

N,,,r.. Editors Your correspondent Lin
the last issue Of TnE UxioS. endcavors 20 say a
good word for our county mutual insurance CON.
panies, although he is flank enough 70 state that
in his opinion tie course Of the Hartford county
company in caneelling all it, canning risks "is
much to be deprecated"
The Hartford company has only done in this
instance wha; any prudent would have done
under similar eirclm msiances-they have dropped
. iine Of business that has proved Improbable
The Gamers could not, in reason. ask the com.
pany 60 do losing business in order 90 furnish
them their insurance at loW rates al" says that
in making the statement, tha, even the officers Of
our nutaals admit they have been injuiiciously
managed. ! must no: include those Of our Baiii
more county company. But IL iay memory il not
greatly at fault have, within n few months,
heard at least two gentlemen who are were con.
some property were entirely zoo low and IL had
many risks which IL had better cancel. The late
ere at West River. where three adjoining frame
buillings, all insured In county company,
were destroyed, does not speak well for the pru.
denec Of its manasemeni. Prudent companies
shun rows Of frames and all localities exposed 90
sweeping eOnnasratiOns, and little prudence
might have saved our Baltimore county mutual
the heavy loss sustained at Westminster, which
vas reported 20 be three times as heavy that Of
any stock company involved. ] have been shown
. baneh Of four frame buildings at Hampden,
three Of which are insured In our mutual for ST.
600. II Ere shoald start anywhere in this row
the whole Hoall certainly barn. do no, believe
that any asen, In Baltimore would think Of plae-
ing these three buildings In any one COMPANY.
al" objects 10 the argunoat that farmers aud
owners Of non-haxardous property should not be
taxed for losses on the more hazardous. lie calls
this . "se.Gsh view Of the case. bot Il Il that
taken by all business men. Hazardous service
always demands rates Of pay In proportion to the
amornt Of risk incurred, and "H's." question, ..is
II certain that esHaerics more dan gerous than
other industries?' is fully ansutrsd by the fact
that few insurance companies care % take risks
on them. This proves that insurance men regard
them a. particularly dangerous. and Il IL presum-
able that they are the best judges in the matter.
That the Baltimore County Mutual has lost moth
Ing on eanneries this year does not prove their
safety, though III" italieiIes the statement. A
few years ago baltimore agent, who vas carry
ing q large amount o. such insrrsEes, eaade .
similar boast In regard 10 his business for the year
then closing. bat another l3 months had rolled
By The very mention of canning house risk
would excite a storm Of rage and profanity.
But Low rates aad especially hazardous risks
are not the only Questionable features Of the
mans sgeiEent Of cur mutual companies. Others Of
. grave nature Eigst he named, ba. 20 do so
would perhaps tresPass tgo mech oE TIE eolatzns
Of Tag uxIOS. 80 I refrain for the present.
al" closes his eoussunlestion By allading TO =
matter that seems 20 worry hiE. lie aays IN
"emissary Of the foreign eOmpanies' has been
seeking TO impose upon simple e-miEde'l people"
By making false statements about the mutual COM
paaies. Well, this IL unfortunate. bat Il cant be
helped. The liar j. 90 be foaad every here, even
10 oar churches sometimes. lie appears TO be an
insvitsble evil, and u nay lie necessary one, so
ws must pEt up With him. n al" hss logad bat
one the does not ueztion na1esl, think instead
Of feeling bad about u be ought rather feel like
corgratulating the insaranee agents Of the eoan-
ty that the number Of such characters is 90 small
among then. I doabt u - much eould be said
Of any other class of our business men.
In eonelusiOn you'd ssy tha, in What have
written In this and other letters 10 fsE UxIox
have been aeiua:el by no ill-uill towardsosr Haa-
tnal insurance companies, nor by any desire 10
~traasee" tksD. I have merely stated facts In
regard 20 them that ;hOaght the public should
be apprised Of. have said thsi there Is no ap-
parsnl reason Why they should not be ssecsssfsl
alihough the reports of Insurance boards. the
country over, have shown that In = majority of
eases they have not. Bot u some have saeeeeded
others may. We have = notahie Instance of sue
cess in . company In Pennsylvsnia, well known
In the northern parts Of Tits Stats. This CON-
pany began as = metaai. bat BY good maaAgs-
msnt accumulated such . large amount of assets
that IL Ekeiished the prsmiam notes and Is nos
eondactel as . stock company. with this differ
enee that there are no ditiisass 10 nay and con-
sequsntly all the ineome of the company is sr-
ploysd in paying iosses and expenses. II is prob
able that this Pccnsy lvania company, having e.
tabIished itself 90 - erz . basis. wouid not be
In the least disturbed By the lying siaisnents of
Hcmisaaries of foreign eompanies-' To feel an
noyed ~ rreh f.isehcods 10 . eonfession Of weak
ness tkoss uhs are eonscious of their strength
regard them uith eontsmPt