New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-23
BROOKLYN MUST SUFFER-.
INSURANCE RATES RAISED % PER CENT.
THE TAEIFF A'soTAT-oN's PROTEST AGAINST
WIsMANAGEMENT OF THE FIRE
n -

ING inc IRE insurance rates IN TINS CITY. IL
Jersey City and other places about the hay.
passed a resolution yesterday afternoon which
Will clrectuaqy wake up the business men Of
Brooklyn to the gross mismanagemcnt Of Brook
lyn's municipal affairs fall representative
of the Tariff Association met at its rooms at No.
% Nassau-st. and voted that from TODAY at a.
N. the fire Insurance rates on risks in Brooklyn
will DE increased 25 per cent. That
rate will remain in force until the fire depart
mcnt comes up to the requirements Of the fire in
surancc companies in the association. The reso-
luton passed reads
Resolved That until such time as the fire de
parment in the City Of Brooklyn shall have
hcon improved 10 the satisfaction of the Fire
Und 'rwritcrs, expressed through this association.
there shall Ia added to all rates - per cont
That such addition be made separate, in the
form of rider the wording of which shall be
promulgated by the manager of the association
The manager of The Tariff Association soil yes
tcrlay afternoon, when asked the meaning OF the
unusual step of advancing rates so g"neraiF
Brooklyn has sloppy fire department. sciier-
ally. lts apparatus is not in SHAPE ana IS h''
nightly handled. The city wants water towers
and probably wants another chief The depart
mcnt is called TO fires and it does not put them
ont The, underwriters have been growing for
The action on the floor Of this association to-day
WAS prcripitatad BIZ the fires within the lost six
months | might mention the fires Of Smith,
GRAY & Co. and Jurgcns a CO. as particularly
badly managed The ASSOCIATION has, therefore,
raised the rates in Brooklyn twenty-five per cent
on all excepting dwellings, which are not rated
by IL. but remain in the open market without Z
fixed rate.
The effect Of this decision will no doubt create
n new political movement in Brooklyn. Thomas
F. Ncvins has been chief engineer Of tte fir" de-
partmcnt for long time lie is, it is said, hnnn-
tally an independent man He does not give his
oilic, enough attention and his department Is be-
hind the time.
The action Of tho association was unanimous in
this mattcr-not man on the floor who di not
stand Up. Some members wcrr for doubling the
present rates in Broollyn-that is increasing them
100 per cent. The action Of the association VIII
certainly cause Brrohlyn people 10 analyzc what
is the truo condition Of affairs ~ to their Fire
Department AID the building laws, which ] un-
dcrytand arc also faulty.
Samuel r. Weed, when seen yesterday after
noon by "a Tribune reporter. said, with reference
10 the measures passed by the Tariff A-spcht on
Tho subject Of tai; Tor long tine IN insurance
circles has been the Intellectual work Of the
Brooklyn Fire Department From tmc = time
rates on Brooklyn risks have lcca inclcascl, bat
there was no money in that business even then.
So di-astroua have been the fires there Of late
that attention has been drawn toward the im-
pi0yemcnt ~ the field.
The main trouble Is in the Fire Department.
Sater-towers and other facilities in common use
IN New-York are necessary there. Besides. the
tcmoalization Of the department. arising LARGELY
fcefi Iaa 20 do
,hc inefficient work. Insurance men have be-
come 80 iuccnsrd by the manag mont Of tn" i-c'
i'm Brooklyn that they have adopted the mcth1i
NJ raising the rates. The advance viii be -
pcr cent.
The rider mentioned in th' resolution l. n
slip OF paper pastcd or the policy, setting forth
that until the Fir ID 'partnont and II, cqu pmcnt
are improved the additional charge VII contnn'.
II Is supposed that business men, seeing tins
rider on their policies. Will influence pubho
sentiment in Broohlyn sufficiently TO reform th'
condition Of affairs. THIS Is an cd agitation
neaiu.t Brooklyn
It may De added that several cowpanic. have
not waited for the action of the association, bat
have ceased writing Brooklyn risks aay
terms
The secretary Of one Of the lar-cS; British fire
insurance companies when asked what was the
real trouble in Brooklyn, repici: Politics
is at the bottom Of it all. The Firo Department
is insufficient, without doubt. i IS loosely
conducted, and on an autquatcd system. Mr..
Neyins, the chief nay be good citizen. bai b"
is poor fireman
Elijah r. Kennedy, president Of the Board of
Underwriters, which is distinct from the farm
Association, said that all the members OF the
association stood by the resolution on Brooklyn
H.. af,.rrs
not 20 speak
Auo:Lrr wel-known underwater said that ms
choice Of action would have been 10 wait upon
,he Mayor Of Broo1lyn and rcmouStratc with him
~ 10 the dcploraLlc condition Of the depart
ncut. But" hc continued, nearly every other
insurance man held that the companies mus tax"
conditions as they fond them, and make rates
accordingly
The manager Of large agency commented III
this way on Brooklyn: within few years
the character of much OF the business mas
changed in an important respect, mat 49, III III"
great dumbcr OF large retail stores aui factories
The size of such concerns has ha le 'l'' HiU'n
moro difficult for the department 10 hahd', an"
th, departnant has not Kept uD thc ~" clhh-'
IN the character Of tic city. Many o. the hol''S
are 80 tat that they can liaruiy run TO nWI' me-
Tho drrlrtmcnt has no water towers ami, thfl'-
foro no way Of delivering large liiisSi, 81 Nl''f
INTO the upper ctoric5 of buildings The action
of the liremcn frequently shows gross ln'Il''h'H'
In fact. the feeling of th' undcr"Ilt'r' mas "F'h
ihai' rom The head down. the department Is
utterly dcmoralizcd. Any man. who has read the
lroolsyn papc.~' must nav" sees, ii"l"nl III
.tancc. Of drunkenness Of Gfcmcn, lghtng among
themselves, aad other evidences Of scandaiouN
lack Of discipline. .
An admsier Of fire losscs in speaking Of the
brooklyn fires ridicned the reports written up
af,.r all important fires there by Fire Marshal
1.vi- and declared that Mr.. Lcwi-s reports
ard statements were utterly worthless. IL further
ad,rl that the Marshal engaged IL CIV
in, ont accounts Of the valor and splendid work
rf the Fire Department when, IN certain cases.
thcr, was both ccWardicc and inc0mpetcny
The Tariff Association also advanced the rat'a
on cotton warehouses In Ncw-lork the i@'eS
will be u per cent. hereafter, instead of
p.r cont and the lowest rate IN Rroolyn aitrr
the new general increase Of - per cent is add'l,
viii be- 81 - per cent. IL il said that Jnie
and ssa grass which are even more lnlianlnap"
than cotton, have been stored In the ErtoklN"
warehouses. These rates with the advance. now
ever are far below the cotton rates IN New
Orleans, Memphis and other Southern points
~