Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-10-04
NO REDUCTION IN RATES.

The C7tic6Jo Insurance People Ret HSe to
Take off That 20 Per Cent KscfortfOn.
As heretofore mentioned,the local board
of underwriters, in consideration of the
pressure brought to bear by the business
men of this city, wrote the board of under
writers in Chicago asking that the twenty
five per cent increase in rates be taken of,
but it was mo 60"
That is big thing for the insurance
pguies represented by the board, and
they evidently do not propose to loose
their grip" until absolutely compelled to.
The following is correct copy of the
correspondence relative thereto, and which
will be read with great interest by our Min
neapolis readers:
OFFICE OF THE MINNEAPOLIS UNDERWENT.
ERs' UNION, MINNEAPOLIS. Mimi, Sept 80,
1883.-To the members Of the Underwrit-
ers' Union-Gentlemen Your attention
| is called to the communication addressed
to the undersigned by Local Board Com
mission No. 3, in answer to your petition
in reference to the application of the addi-
tional 25 per cent. This seems to de-
fnitely settle the question involved and
leaves no alternative with the agents and
manager other than the impartial applioa-
ton of the rules as laid down. 1t is sin
| cerely hoped that such improvements will
| soon be made as will relieve the greater
portion of the property of this city from
the application Of this additional 25 per
cent. Yours respectfully,
| w. B. MoUoRD, Manager.
| The UN1oN-LoCAL BOARD COMMISSION
No. 3, CHICAGO, Sept. %, 1883.-W. B. Mo
Cord, Esq, Manager-Dear Sir: Thespeti-
ton of local agents transmitted to my
predecessor by you, of date OF 18th inst,
was laid before the commission at its first
meeting since reorganization to-day, to
gether with correspondence received from
you and others in relation to matters at
| Minneapolis.
The subject was carefully considered in
all its bearings and with sincere desire
to take no action that might prejudice the
| interest of the companies or the agents,
and after full discussion it was not deemed
advisable to change the rules requiring %
| per cent. advance on rates in certain local
tiles in your city. Personally the mem
bers of the commission would be glad to
grant the concessions asked for by the
petitioners, but they do not
feel that the companies interested would
be best served by so doing. We are ad-
vised and believe that the city Of Mime
| apolis is subject to confagrations of great
or or less magnitude, and that there is real
danger of greater disaster in that grow
ing city. The necessities for an increase
of fire extinguishing facilities has been
laid before the authorities and they have
been requested and urged to take necessa-
| ry steps to improve the same so as to reduce
the danger of catastrophe to minimum
as yet with but little practical success.
We do not make any charges against your
| city council, nor board of water works, for
We believe that they have now awakened to
a fair sense of the danger and will doubt
| less view the matter in its true light be-
| fore long. We are we'll aware that the ap-
plication of any general rule is apt to work
| hardship in individual cases, but we do
| not see how this could be avoided-were
We to make changes in the rules there
| would always be exceptions. We have no
doubt that some of the agents have done
good work with their customers in show
| ing them the danger to which they are
subjected by the insuffciency of the water
| supply and the ineffioiency of the fire de-
| partment, and to these all praise is due,
| but we cannot resist the conviction that
| others have been lukewarm and possibly
some of them opposed to the enforcement
of the rule laid down by the companies.
| If all agents could be induced to lend
| helping hand in pushing forward the good
| work we believe taat before the close of
| 1883 such progress would be made as would
warrant material reductions. Please convey
to the members of the compact the views
of the companies as herein expressed, and
| ask their hearty cooperation. 1t is not
likely that any modification Of these rules
will be made except as improvements are
made by your authorities, when you will,
of course, make such reductions in specific
| localities as may be warranted by such
improvements. 1t may not be amiss to
refer to the silly rumor of a reduction of
rates at st. Paul. No such reduction is
contemplated, and we are at a loss to IN
derstand how such report could have
gained currency. Many companies have
lost money in st. Paul, and We think
few have made any profit in that city for
| several years. You can state confidently
| that no application has ever been made
to this body, and were the same to be pre-
| scented it would not be granted.
We deprecate the newspaper oontro-
versy that seems to be going on in both
your city and st. Paul, but we are not re-
sponsible for same, and we do not propose
to allow the newspapers to try this case and
render final judgment. The companies
which pay the losses ought to have some.
thing to say as to the rates to be charged,
Trusting that we shall have the hearty
cooperation of the agents, to the end that
we may present solid front in requiring
needed improvements, and thus securing
reductions in rates in fair and equitable
manner, remain very truly yours,
1. s. BLAoKwELDER, Chairman.
4 Man Killed.
Yesterday morning as party of labor