The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-04-01
DlSPENSARY INSURANCE.

DlsPENsARY INSURANCE.
Mr.. B. B. Evans Says that it is Safe Be-
yond a Doubt.
COLUMBIA, s. c., March 27.-Mr. B.
B. Evans, who has been carrying the
dispensary risks through his agency,
was not in the city when the report
was circulated that all policies had
been cancelled on the dispensaries, and
on his return from Charleston, he was
asked as to the true situation OF the
dispcnsary insuance matter, and ne
said, II am very much surprised that
the special agent of the North British
and Mercantile Insurance company
should have given for publication the
statement that is purported in your
article in this mornings State, because
it is absolutely untrue. l will give
you the facts in the case which l can
substantiate by letters received from
the company. The North British
and Mercantile Insurance company
has carried these risks for one year,
and about thirty days ago notified
them that the time was approaching
for renewal of this business, and to
kindly furnish me with the necessary
equipments to enable me to intelli.
gently write it. For reasons best
known to myself, I had placed before
the arrival of Mr.. Seymour in this city
forty-two of the different dispensaries
in other companies, and the number
remaining in force would have expired
about the first of next month. They
were cancelled, and the policies taken
up and promptly placed in other com
panies, equally as reliable as the North
British. An unearned premium Of
some SIS was returned to the State out
of net premium of Sc, 600, so you can
readily see that it was an insignificant
matter so far as change of company
was concerned. Your article says
that there has been serious losses; the
facts are, that out of 5000, 900 insurance
only $1,400 has been lost in the past
twelve months. The reason assigned
by Mr.. Seymour, that the risk was too
hazardous on account, as he insinuates,
of defalcation and theft by county dis,
pensers is utterly untrue, as the aver
age county dispenser must be gentle.
man of integrity, or they could not
furnish the bond and occupy the posi-
ton they do. The dispensaries have
never been without protection, and
your statement that should dispensa'
ry burn, the State would sustain a to-
tai loss is false, and without founda-
ton, as they are fully covered, the
busin ess has never been unwritten,
and is now in first class companies.
The statement that several agents have
been offered this business and that
their companies would not handle it,
is positively false. There is not an
agency in this city that has been offer
ed this business that refused it, so the
statement that none would assume
the risk is untrue. have taken upon
myself the trouble to see every agent
| in Columbia with the exception of one
(this agent ! could not find) to ask if
any such statement was made by them
and was given the same answer each
time "no.h I have said this much in
Justice to the dispensary authorities
and the dispensers, and to place the
facts as they exist. So far as the new
law is concerned, there need be no
fear as to the companies working un-
der it. am prepared to insure any
property in any city, town or country
where policies have been cancelled on
account of this law"
1t was not the reporters intention
to do Mr.. Evans an injustice in the re-
port of the cancelling of the policies
on the dispensaries, nor was there any
desire on the part of anyone connected
with the affair to do so. Mr.. Evans
was out of the city when the matter
was brought up and it was, of course,
limpracticable to secure any statement
of facts on the subject from him, and
those of others had to be accepted.
The information given in yesterdays
issue was secured from sources that are
considered absolutely reliable. name
ly, from agents in this city and Mr.. j.
| G. Seymour, the special agent of the
North British and Mercantile Insur-
ance company in which the dispense
ries have heretofore been insured.
In Mr.. Evans statement above he
makes several errors which are unin-
territorial, no doubt, but in justice to
The State, they are corrected here.
The States article did not say that the
State or company had sustained seri-
Gus losses, as will readily be'seen by
referring to the issue in which it ap.
peared, nor did it say that in case OF
loss at the present time the State would
J lose as result of having no insurance.
MIR. Evans makes reference in those
; particulars to the report of another
paper and not that of The State, for
this paper cannot be proved guilty OF
such statements.
The States informants were consld-
cred reliable men and competent to
make the desired statements and for
those reasons application was made to
them for information regarding the
matter and was given exactly as pub
tlished in the paper.-State.
Pianos for Winthrop.