The San Francisco call., 1898-02-03
CLUNIE IN
 THE RING
 TO FIGHT The Insurance Trou- bles Cannot Now
 Be Settled. No Chance for a Compro- mise, Says the Com
 missioner. President Haven of the Under writers Stirred Up a
 Bad MuSS. A LETTER FULL OF STEAM. Declares That tho "Conapact" Is Vio- lating All the State
 Laws.
A LETTER FULL OF STEAM
Declares That tho "Conapact" Is Vio- lating All the State
 Laws.

i
 Probably the most open declaration of war ever issued by a State officer against a man or body of men went forth from the office of the State In- surance Commissioner yesterday to President Charles D. Haven of the Board of Fire Underwriters of the Pa cific Coast It was in answer to let ter sent by the latter relative to the difficulties existing between the Com missioner and many of the companies. This trouble has existed for five or six weeks and to straighten out matters the parties agreed to have the differ ences adjusted by the Commissioner and two legal representatives Of the underwriters. Commissioner Clunie and Attorneys Goodfellow and Coogan after long conference arrived at decision and the result of their delib- erations and agreements was presented the form of letter.
 This letter of agreement dealt with the fixing of rates of insurance, cCm- missions to brokers, rebates to those taking out policies. penalties. etc. It remained unanswered until yesterday and the long silence led the Commis- sioner to believe that the underwriters had decided to disregard the agreement made with him. especially as the com panies began an action in injunction in the Federal courts restraining him from revoking their licenses Although late President Haven made reply yes- terday in the following letter:
 SAN FRANCISCO. Feb. 2, 1898. Hon. A. J. Clutie. Insurance Commis-
 sioner. San Francisco, Cal.
 Dear Sir: Your letter bearing date Jan uary 2, addressed to myself as president of the Board of Fire Underwriters, was not received by me until the 18th ult., owing to intervening holidays. A reply to your letter was drafted and almost ready for transmission to you, when you took action relative to the bonds given by the agents of the several fire insur- ance companies.
 have been forwarded to you on Monday last, and I am told that our attorneys so informed you last week Your action, should be made to your letter. For this reason 1 have concluded to call meet ing of the board to consider the matter,
 
 will address you further Yours very truly,
 CHARLES D. HAVEN,
 President.
 MT. Haven's letter was taken as an open defy and the Commissioner acted accordingly. Without loss of time he jumped into the ring. threw down the glove and declared himself out for fight to a finish. In his answer Commissioner Clunie says:
 Charles D. Haven, President Board of Fire Underwriters of the Pacific-Dear Sir: Yours of the 2d inst, by way of an swer to mine of the 22d ult., duly received and contents noted. l hasten to reply in order that you may avoid the necessity of calling any further meeting Of your association to consider the matters re. ferred to in my letter. The attitude or yourself and associates in repudating the agreement entered into between your at torneys and myself relieves me from most embarrassing situation. and while been deceived and misled by your mem bers as to their intentions, I feel highly elated to know that all affiliations be- tween us are at an end and that l now stand free and unconnected with this odious monopoly of which you are pres1- dent and at liberty to exert the entire power or this department to throttle and drive out of existence this trust and ille- gal combination formed as 1t Is mostly of foreign corporations, the only object l Of which in the transaction of business III tiliS Oldte IS to HIGH ITOH1 our pcopie exorbitant rates of premium for insur- ance, the payment of which they are un- ] able to avoid. and which on every. occa- @ sion invoke every possible tecnnicallty or l Of the State, and repeatedly. refuse. to contribute to the support of our gov ernment, whose protection they, are always eager to invoke, the small pit 1 tance prescribed by it's laws as their pro 1 rata of taxation.
 | As you must know, my feelings have this monster, and that 1t was only by means of repeated intercessions by the agents of companies interested and the constant efforts of it's attorneys. " 5. Goodfellow Esq, and T. c. Coogan Esq, my personal friends, that l was induced to act at all in conjunction with it. and only then upon the granting of certain concessions to the people of the State and the promise of large reductions in rates of premiums, as set forth in my letter moreover. at the time of these negotia- t1ons l had no actual proof of the work ings of the compact but recently com pilation of figures showing the business gone by the insurance companies in this Srate S ana the premiums received thereon during the year 1897 has been made. hereby give you the figures, compared with those of 1896. when there was no compact, Tn existence; to .1 Wit: t., DOC. L., ,oo7 Amount written in 1898, $336 ,334 ,23S; in 1897 $334 2o4 ,126: excess of amount written in 1896 over 1897. ,s12. .112.
 Premiums received in 1896, $3.317 ,210 Is; IT Aoof, S4,fDi ,Ul3 ZZ, excess Ol pIeliliuiuo received iD 1897 over 1896, $249 ,703 10.
 It will thus be seen that though the amount written in 1897 was SIS .060 112 less than the amount written in 1896, the pre- miums received in 1897 exceed those of 1896 Dy $S49,7 ,7O3 19. In considering these figures. IT IS important to note that the compact dld not commence business until the month of June. 1897, and its results for this short period have been the immense increase of premiums. above shown.
 lnasmuch. as your association has seen nt 10 repudiate the acts of its attorneys, whom l believe have acted in the best or faith with me in the matter, and fur ther consideration and developments hav- ing satisfied me that my first impressions concerning this association were correct, l deem that I am justified in withdraw ing all suggestions or agreements look ing toward any joint action between this department and your board. and l now do so. Accordingly it will be wholly unneceS- sary for you to call any meeting of your board. as suggested by you, to consider any matters mentioned in my previous letter. And in order that you. and all other of its members, may not be taken unawares. I desire to now notify you that l consider that every company belonging to the so-called Board of Fire Under writers of the Pacific is a member of an organization opposed to the laws and the policy of this Efata and that each of