The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-07
BUSINESS MEN STIRRED Up
What They Say About the Tariff As
SOCiatiOl'S Action.

It is in Keeping With the Associa-
: TONS Policy to Advance Rates-The
Bay Street Fire offered an Excuse
for the Raise-The Move Widely Dis
cussed and Generally Denounced.
Savauuah's business men are up in
arms against the increase Of % cents a
hundred in rates on Savannah by the
| Southeastern Tariff association. The
majority agree with Mayor McDonough
that it is an outrage. They say that it is
unreasona BILE because the insurance COM
panies have had one large loss in Savan-
nah on a certain class of prop
erty that they should Immediately
order an increase in rates
upon all classes of property without any
cause for such an increase being given by
the property owners generally.
What makes the business men mad is
that the increase is sweeping and arbi-
trary. A risk which was paying - per
cent. is increased Just the same as one pay
ing twice as much, IS cents q hundred in
each case, an increase of 1875 per cent. in
one case and of only o15 in the other.
WANTED AN EXCUSE.
The general belief is that the associa-
b4D4 Only WduNCu du tACuot 70 lnCEtdot
the rates here, and the last ire furnished
the excuse. 1t was well known, said a
business man yesterday, and none knew
IL better than the insurance agents and
their inspectors, that the Wilcox 4 Gibbs
buildings were dangerous risks. on ac-
count of their situation, their cOnstruc-
ton and their contents, and that if fire
ever got fair start in them
with favorable conditions it would be
impossible to save the buildings Yet
these buildings and their contents were
| covered with insurance at the usual rates.
| When the insurance companies lost on
| these buildings, as it was absolutely GER
tain they would do sooner later, the loss is
made an excuse for general increase in
rates and a sweeping denunciation of the
Savannah fire department.
WHAT BUSINESS MEN SAY.
A MORNING News reporter who called
upon a number of leading business men
yesterday, found that they were not slow
in expressing their opinions on the action
of the tariff association.
A prominent member of the cotton ex-
change who had good reasons for not
wishing his name used, said
The action of the Tariff association is
arbitrary and insulting to the city With
out notice it suddenly ordered a horizontal
increase in rates upon all classes of prop
erty, alleging as its reason the inefficiency
| OF the fire department, and declaring that
| the increased rates shall remain until the
fire department is reorganized to suit its
ideas. The proper way for the association
TO have done, if it had any complaint to
make against the fire department,
would have been to have demanded a
| hearing before council, stated the grounds
of their complaint, and pointed out
wherein the service might be improved
so as to place it upon satisfactory basis
If the council had declined to heed their
complaints they would then have been in
position 10 order an increase in rates with
some show Of fairness on their side.
They do nothing of the kind, but pre-
emptorily dictate to the city
that it shall make sweeping
reform in its fire department
and until such reform is made The in
| creased rates shall remain in force.
HAS GAINED NOTHING.
The Southeastern Tariff Association,
| another business man said, has not gained
anything in the esteem of Savannah
| business public in recent years. Instead
! of regarding it as a protective organiza-
! ton for the benefit of the insured as well
| as the insurer, they now regard it as a
trust conducted solely in the interest of
| the companies composing it, for
! the purpose of maintaining rates and
increasing profits. The action of the
association towards Savannah last Au-
/ gust was even more arbitrary than it's
/ last increase in rates. Suddenly and
| without warning the rates were increased
on cotton and naval stores at all the
| wharves, warehouses and presses for
| alleged deficiencies of construction. insult
| tiCient supply of water, lack of hose and
other appliances, and other things con-
trary to the rules of the asso-
citation. In some instances obiec-
\ 30 1ae,a1 \ II. Il
| had been constructed according TO
the direc tions of the association changes
having since been made in the rules 1t
is true the insured were given the option
of conforming with the rules and obtain
ing cheaper rates, so it was not the in
crease in rates that was objected to so
much as the time at which it was made.
The officers of the association We're
familiar with the state of affairs at
Savannah, and could just as well have
ordered the changes made in the summer
instead of at the very beginning OF
the busy season. The result was
that we were compelled to pay
the heavy rates until alterations could be
made to conform to the association $
rules, some of which required months
The rates were never reduced to the orig
inal figures, and are much higher this
year than last On some of the wharves
the ia tes are 4 per cent. On floating pol
icies it is 6 per cent. This is a heavy tax
upon the business of the port
AN ARBITRARY CONCERN.
"All the actions Of the Tariff Associa
tiOn with reference to rates" said a Cot
ton Exchange man. have been charac-
terized by the same arbitrary manner
The rates have been continually
increased from year to year in spite OF
frequent improvements made under the
direction of the association for the pur
pose Of obtaining lower rates. The fire
department is attacked, and vet the
present fire department is organized prac
tically according to the directions Of the
association After the fire Of April, 1883
the association raised the rates, and com
planned Of the Savannah fire department
Council conferred with the agents oil
the association, and asked them tt
point out what improvements were
needed. They replied that the city
should have paid fire department in
stead OF one partly paid and partly vol
unteer and that the force should be in
creased; that more engines should be
bought and an aerial ladder and chemical
engine added and that the water supply
should be increased AL these things
were done. The fire department was
made a paid service and the force in
creased; more engines were bought and
/ more engine houses built: an aerial ladder