The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-12-11
Indiana rs an Insurance Field,
Growth ~ incendiariSsn,
What it Costs.

The following extract from TN sup.
plrmcnt a. recent No. Of Rough
Notss' makes = bad showing for South
ern Indiana:
'.rAr premiums paid for Are Insurance
IN indiana sfr = serious tax amuuntine
20 nearly e2.l25 90 ansnsliy. A. shown
b, the reports 81 sus auditor OF state
Recently Il LAS been counted luck,
conpsn, that Al The end of The Yea,
gould show reasonable gain from dr.,
underwriting Ia the state"
Yet the high tide of misfortune ar
pears not In the least abated. aud q Q
heavy drain upon the resources anu
energies OF the people continues with
out any return in vslae Tor their vast
outlay OF money
Nothing At east has been done in In
diana, and nothing can be done until
the public Is thoroughly enlightened re-
garding the causes that work loss a.
the State OF several millions Of dollars
annually By the burning of insured and
unin~urei property. Let II be remnm-
bered that while the people Of Indiana
during isSt paid over 92OUO 900 in pre-
miums 10 the insurance companies
which IN turn distributed Sl6a4 500
among those Who met With fire losses.
the real loss ia actual none, valne ID the
people OF the State was 50 3SJ.lSo. A.
shown by the Chronicle Fire Tables
where very accurate and complete
compilation Of the losses by fires Tor the
past ten years in the United States and
Canada Is 10 be iound.r
Taking the ascei tanned causes OF fires
in Indiana during 1854. we find that So
per cent. were OF incendiary origin.
Stated plainly the hire insurance compan-
ies paid cefA1s5, aud the State lost ST.
s55 os3 by the torch OF the incendiarvs'
During the last ten wears Indiana has
been compelled 20 overcome loss by
fire waste exceeding S53 100000 before
making any advance ia material pros
perity. and incendiaries have c0st tax
payers $1,000 uyp within ihi. brief peri
Oh. The I'll sct ". ;ils Hhole<ale loss b,
incendiary hires upou the premium rate
paid BY policy-hoIlers Is easily seen
Insured property-owners alone could
well Afford 10 pay for the new State
House now being erected. and present il
q free gilt 70 the State ii by so doing
they could be relieved or the tax the,
pay for lncendiary fires during the brief
space OF three years Remove this evil
aud the insurance companies could abase
their revenues from the stale : OO.OOOl
annually aud count $4,000 profits on q
business now attended with constant
loss. The local effect or incendari-m
upon certain sections Of the State i
serious
"One leading company some three |
years ago surrendered its farm bu-
siness IN large portion Of Southern In
diana BY quietly disseminating Issuing
policies therein. Another leading CON-
pany, anxious to secure as much as pos
sibie of the s'cream OF the bust
ness. IS farm risks are generally regard
ed. gathered in as rapidly A. possible the
expiring RISKS Of its competitor. but an
experience OF less than two years com
PEELED this company to peremptorily or
der halt and cease writing new bust
ness. and finally the experience IT al
third strong company. that for the fret
half Of 1855. has been busily engaged I
taking up the lines laid down Nv the
other two companies. Is = recorded !oSs
OF ~ per cent. OF its entire premium re- \
ceiPts taken in the Stale from January
to June Inclusive