The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-12
INSURANCE MATTERS.
Com missioner Carr Talks interestingly
OF Fire and Life Insurance.
(kennsDec Journal. }


ave have bsen rather unfortunate In
starting the new year. said Insurance
Commissioner Carr, Tuesday. ''s5ee the
disastrous fires that have opened up the
year. One In Portland reaching almost
3 Of, 600. while another over in Presqze
Isle with several thousands. Besides this
there ere the usual number Of smaller
ones. 1t does not look well.
"And by the way, did you know that
last year was bad one for the fire in
surance compsnies9 New England will
not be In the lead In fire losses though
she suffered this greatest In years. The
states OF Pennsylvania, New York and
Illinois will be well In the lead In losses.
am sorry to say that Maine will show
a great loss as compared with previous
years and yet the other states have In
proportion suffered worse than we, be-
l.eve.
sour tables are not complete for the
year, IS you understand the municipal
oil GERS OF the different cities and towns
have two weeks In which to investigate
the Ores. Then others are as u matter OF
course bshind and we are hurrying them
by sen ding letters every few days. When
all the reports are In, think the fire loss
will be larger than we like to see 1t, bus
We can console ourselves with the
thought that other states have the same
| thing In their cups Of sorrow"
slow will the loss Of life and accident
comuanies show ups" asked the Journal.
"It will snow up finely. The death
rate was exceedingly light. All over the
country IL wag the same The life COM
panies made money last year wnIle the IRE
companies lost. 1t Is ono Of the fabes OF
the business,
own not the bensflciaries OF the life
Insurance become discouraged II we per-
sist IN livingY" asked a man who always
secs everything In the pessiiaistio light
"Are we not doing wrong by insuring
our iiyesf Will not our families think
less of us, IL they have the idea in their
heads that In case we die they will make
money by itf"
1t Is no use to put such u question to
thu commissioner or Deputy Fletcher, for
| they always have an answer. .
ifNo," eaid Mr.. Carr, sit makes ones
| family or his henefciaries, whoever they
ray be, think more OF one to think he
| is sscrllclEg something from his own life
\ and pleasures for the sake OF providing
| for them after he Is dead. And then an
other argument In favor Of the life 10
sursnce is the fact thatit increases and
sustains lite.
\ No ore could see through that and the
com missioner went on to explain.
''Dr. Gordon of Portland, actually
| made the statament not long ago that he
knew of men whose lives had baen saved
| by their life insurance policisa. You
know when a man is i'll. apparently unto
death, he worries for the future Of HIS
wife and family in case he Is not riof.
and he wonders how they will get
| living. Web, the man without this Wor-
rlmsnt and who knows his family will
have ample to live upon has net this
worry to injure him. The doctor sAid
these men wers sustained by the thought
| that their families would be all right. In
case they had worried in the least their
lives would have gona out, but IS 1t was
tbsy were at poaos and rested, saving
| them"
| az have known or such csses." suggest
| ed a bystander. 81 have heard of men
who went into accidents and on coming
out would tell that their only thought
was, well, my wife and family are pro-
vide for and l guess the life policy Is
| some coed hsfe."