The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-10
RISKY DINNER THIS.
hudson County Fire Under
writer's Association
Makes Merry.
WOES OF AN INSURANCE AGENT
Fire Commissioners Talk of The
Efficiency Of the Department
and Ask for a Reduc-
ton Of Rate.

There was a risky, not risque, flavor
about last nights dinner in the Hotel
Washington when the members of the
Hudson County Fire Underwriters AS
s~ociation were assembled to consume
good things, give assurances to the as
sured, discuss commissions without
rates, yellow journals" territorial
limits, losses, swap yarns, some of which
they put in their policies and generally
talk shop. 1t was a pleasant gathering
of men engaged In an important busi-
ness, some of the secrets of which they
generously allowed to escape for the oene-
fit of a long suffering community.
The dinner was served in the small
dining room and in the presidents seat
sat Mr.. Thomas NJ. Gopsifl, having near
him as guests:-S. A. Reed, manager OF
the New York Tariff Association; j. E..
Litchheld, manager of the Lancashire
Company; I. Bigert, of the British
American; Alfred Rowell, special agent
of the Aetna; NJ. B. Jones, of the Queen;
r.. C. Christopher, of the /. C.. CALIFORNIAN;
Haywood. of the Delaware: Henry Long,
of the Orient; Frederick Alderman. of
the Manchester; Fire Commissioners
Thos. d. Mills. John Brennan and John j.
Cone, Charles Esterbrook and Messrs.
Frank Stevens, John E. Muller,
F.. Klein, ". G.. Nelson, James Cop
sill, Thos. Rowland. w. g.. Meyer, A. A.
Franck, ]. NJ. Johnson, c. Howard Slater,
J.. C. Lowy, Emil Schuman, Jas. f. Gam
non, James C. Young, John Ward, p.
Magee, P. A. Gaddis, G. ]. Jewell, E.
Muller, j.. P. Landrine, A. Muller, E. Van
Houten, Frank Lockwood and r. w.
Woodward.
When experimenting time began PreFi-
| dent Gopsill asked the guests to drink 81
| lently and standing to the memory of w.
Fl. Harper, formerly of Hoboken. Secre-
tary Fred Klein then read letters regret
| ting absence from Mayor Hoos, T. At
field and others. Then President Gopsili
| made a preliminary address, saying tnat
underwriters came there one day to eat,
dropping all rivalry, and the next day they
would try to do each other. He then
broached the subject of commissions,
and jocularly talked Of fish stone agents
who, he said, amid much laughter, could
not be considered agents any more than
If a family of cats had strayed into a
range and left some kittens, the latter
would not be considered biscuits. He in
troduced the speakers with d witty story
and neatly turned compliment
j.. E. Lftchfeld was the first SO intro
dueed, and he congratulated the ;neta-
bers that they were in smooth water lie,
too, had something to say about commas
sions, and remarked that high commls-
sions meant a reduction of rate. He pre-
ferred one of Is per cent. to 70 per cent.
The trouble was that some companies
were paying high commissions in u als-
reputable and scheming manner. lie
criticised some companies in the Tarlff
Association which tried to cut rates.
S. A. Reed. of the Tariff Association, be-
gan by saying pretty things about the
Hudson Association and its dinner ~ last
wear. the keynote, of which, he said, was
the Improvement of the fire department.
The efficiency of that branch of a city
government. he contended, was of the
highest Importance to underwriters. Turn
mo to the work of the Tariff Association,
no, said that it had tried the novel expert
ment of commissions without rate on
dwellings. and he had faith in its success.
He touched next on the question OF. inn
itation of chief and sub agencies which
was. he said, a. step in the right direction.
The territorial allotment matter was q
tentative step. AS for the general sondl-
tions of the business it was entering on a
smoother sea. There were problems 10
solve. and the Tariff ASSOCIATION would
do its utmost to harmonic all difterehces.
Mr. Alfred Rowell complimented the
Hudson county insurance men and par
ticularly on account of their annual din
ners. He then dropped into a reminiscent
mood and spoke of rates in the away
hack times. when his company, with a
capital of s15O,00 0 wrote a policy on a
distillery for SIS, 900 at rs cents. Com
petition. he said, had a tendency to lower
rates. The two features of the business
to be observed, he said, were the form
of the policy and the contribution in case
of loss. He didn't believe in smooth
water that meant the calm before a
storm He advised agents to keep a-mov-
ing.
President Mills. of the Fire Board, com
planned that Jersey City only had ten per
cent. reduction when New York had 80 1-S
per cent. He thought by reason of the
efficiency of the department it ought to
have at least the same consideration as
New York. He cited that last year there
were 439 fires. with $25S, 900 less loss than
the year before, and that this year there
were 100 fires. with an average of only
5000 loss per fire. AS a proof of the ex-
cellence of the material OF the depart
ment. he said that when the present
board came into power, at their first fire,
even before the water reached the roof,
l six feet of hose burst.
al our last fire. said Mr.. Mills, there
were 100 feet of hose without a leak and
in the twelve engines we a $4,000
feet Of hose can be run out and every
length of it. (~Applause) Our engines
are in thorough condition and we ex-
pect a new one soon. We are in hopes
of adding another chemical engine, and
the department will be in such a high
state of efficiency that we expect you
gentlemen will at once give us the REDUCE
ton to which we are entitled" Cap
plause.)
Mr.. Christopher of the Caledonian Com
pany, made a brief but effective speech
and he was followed by COMMISSIONS
j. J. Cone, who after distributing COM
pllments all around, which he knows how
to do tactfully n gracefully, re-
ferred to the work in the fire department
and modestly put all the praise on his
brother commissioners.
He described the awful financial con-
dition of the board when the present In
cunlbents entered office, with unpaid