New-York tribune., 1885-01-28
STILL PAYING DIVIDENDS.
SOME STRIKING FACTS ABOUT INSURANCE.
COMPANIES THAT HAVE wEATnERKp THE sro""
BRAvELY.

coyp.x,rs THAT HAVE wEATilERkD THE si'""
BRAyELY.
The hue and cry raised over the great nlc
,.ses NJ 1884 lead everybody to suppose lha' ""o1
,he insurance companies came to make their annu'
staten,ents as required by Law, they woulu ho' p
the incoming ships IN January that pear eIiu. .A a.,
rough weather, with decks and eordage coa'cu w 49,
and occasionally o boat torn from the daVits'
ports filed with the Department at Albany Oh 80 Ia
panes 1t does not appear that al! ' w.
been seriously damaged. p,nsv,
The Insurance Company OF North America .h.n
yania company, having q larger amount " -. ,,,dend
any other In the countryside ''zoo 900 ooo and
of 5000 900 composed.y on capltai oi o. %
t,or nro,,,d,no for upearned premiums 70 the ""ou'
'o ~ 80 a,uI had ON the first day OF the year net
'''o :, no 100 Gao Tn other words the shrnkasc on
-, a,r.nc the year amounted only 10 So'ooi'
The 4;tna of Hartford whose gross assets a"iou".
ea o135l7 with q capital stock, winch is ihoiu"ou "a
course of S4 900, did not have so prosperous" wy
ace On December 81, 1855, its net surplus
amounted to $3,269.45s This mas suneiou
. .hr,nkage of S3Ol977 to $2964,40l; but
tho .tockholders drew out the handsome sum VI
GOO 600 I'm dividends Passing to the next great COM
many the Home OF NewYork, with assets OF S|o''ooi'
~ appears that on December 81, 1883, the he' SUI M
was 81 663 81 and year laterit stood at
difference of S511 4O7. The loss rate OF tho hone'
however was only slightly in excess Of that OF the aver
ace of Is American and foreign companies that nave
tiled their statements at Albany, namely oio per ee,
Cen Tbe nroSaStes are that the shrinkage in the
Homes surplus is chargeabe ehleny 10 two oauss',
shrnkaee In the value of stocks and 10 increased eA
nanses the expense of management figuring at asa
large item the expense account was the Puronase f
the business of the American insurance Oompan oo. u
Chicago company doing an immense farm business
on the installment premium plan: tne aos0rp''on
The German American Insurance Company; Tn wa sas
sets of 3Sa shows net met. S sS5 in other
words there gain in spite OF sxcessve % f YEAR
surpus of the Niagara is 1881 44S gain over as,
The Phsnx Of BsSSs9 s of the year.
enough to account for depreciation III S'o0>' VI ' '
like it, ., -, co < mar cant and An ay-
of 5 per cent 1t readily De seen lIat
the business of fire underwriting was not PIo'aoro
idly TO destruction IT, analyzing the statements maze
we take into consideration the troubled sae y.
affairs generally The truth ls c9hsuerls @ = % iss9 tne
Insurance companies have come of much better than
might have been anticipated Had expenses been kept
within proper limit they would nave SOne cnnanie mics
might add greatly TO the safety ana pfonaoenS%s % y,
insurance capital by combining on eutlng 9oWi 9it
their enormous agency ana brokerage expenses ior ~
is certain that the insurance business or tne country
ought done at ratio OF expense not 10 eAceTu
thirty per cent This whole question VI nie @ M ~ tbe
comparitiyely few who have money invested III III
slrlnce stocks for, the public must nave ~ ~inlets
The public interested in the preservation OF INSURANCE
eapt and should therefore seek To diminish the volume
of the annual fire loss by preventive measnTes ann W
sion of fires Ii the buyer OF insurance were TO look
aud for IL as he snOuu uo inc re-
sult would be cheapening of rates, result TO De u
ed by insurer as well as insured But iaVlsh
lures in connection for business on the part OF te IN
snranee companies exceeding in one instance ast year
so cent OF receipts ana TINS oy new o @ 70
the public and il is evident that an example OF eio
should be set by the insurance companies themselves